A Bit Wet and Windy...

I am sitting here today, as the rain lashes down, and the thunder rumbles overhead, and the weather gave me the idea for today's topic.  Britain is in a temperate zone, and the weather isn't generally as extreme as other parts of the world.  We have, however, had our share of big storms over the years.
Contrary to popular belief, it isn't ALWAYS rain in Britain!  Sure, we joke about it, but it really isn't that bad.  Being an island, though, when bad weather hits, it can engulf large portions of the country, and here are some examples...

1703

On 26th November, an enormous storm swept from the south-west of England, through London, and went out to sea across East Anglia and Kent.  In London, there was much roof and chimney damage (the lead roof on Westminster Abbey was blown away), and some 700 vessels on the Thames were destroyed.  Many more ships were destroyed at sea, and over 1000 seamen were killed in the area of the Goodwin Sands (off the coast of Kent) alone.  Although no exact figures are known, there could have been as many as 15,000 deaths as a result of the storm.

Just to prove that it is not a modern concept, the Church of England claimed that it was God's reaction to the sins of the British...

1881

The coast of Berwickshire was hit by a violent windstorm on 14th October, 1881, with the loss of 189 fisherman.  Many were from the village of Eyemouth.  Today, the storm is often referred to as the Eyemouth Disaster.

1952

The Devon village of Lynmouth was devastated by a huge thunderstorm with torrential rain.  The disaster (on 16th August) saw nine inches of rain fall in 24 hours, destroying buildings and bridges, and killing 34 people.

1953

Just a year after the Lynmouth flood, the other side of England got hit.  A combination of events - including a major windstorm over the North Sea - on the last day of January, cause widespread flooding in England, Belgium, and the Netherlands.  In East Anglia (Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex), there were a total of 307 fatalities.

This event led to surge barriers being constructed in London and Hull.

1987

The Great Storm of 1987 is an event I remember all too well...

On the night of 15th-16th October, hurricane-force winds battered England and France.  After making landfall in Cornwall, the storm decimated south and south-east England.  Several hundred thousand homes were left without power for up to two weeks, and over 15 million trees were downed.  Probably due to the time of night, fatalities were surprisingly light, with only 18 deaths in Britain.