By Paul Homewood
Let’s take a look at that 1957 storm in more detail.
The Met Office Weather Summary for August 1957 noted that pressure dropped to 967mb at Cape Wrath on the 23rd, slightly lower than in August 1917. The lowest pressure recorded during Floris was 979mb at South Uist.
The strongest winds recorded were 67kts (77mph) at Bidston, on the Wirral, and 65 kts at Stornoway. These are consistent with the wind speeds yesterday.
What does stand out though is the widespread extent of the 1957 storm. Not only were the strongest winds recorded on the Wirral, but large parts of England and Wales experienced winds of over 60mph, from Durham to Dover and Port Talbot to Fleetwood, where winds gusted to 76mph. Northern Ireland was just as badly affected.
Even inland locations did not escape – Cardington in Bedfordshire was hit by 64mph winds.
No two storms are ever the same, and it is wrong to try and make direct comparisons.
But what is absolutely clear about all of this is that powerful storms are not particularly unusual in August.
But what is wrong is the attempt by the Met Office and others to portray Floris and so many other storms now as if they were.
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August 5, 2025 at 06:32AM
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