[summer '85]

Here is the Times weather review of 1962

[Dave W]

The hottest temperature reading of the year was actually 27.8 at Writtle (Essex) on the 3rd Sept & that gust of 177mph wasnt officially recognised. Also regarding the mild january the coldest yearly temp was actually on Jan 2 at Corwen in Wales with -16C in London, a record min then March was the coldest ever recorded. Although winter 62-63 is the period remembered in fact Feb-April 1962 was also very cold.

[summer '85]

177mph gust recorded at the Shetlands during Feb '62?! [hmmm]

[summer '85]

Quote

Dave W - 25/10/2007 18:46 The hottest temperature reading of the year was actually 27.8 at Writtle (Essex) on the 3rd Sept & that gust of 177mph wasnt officially recognised. Also regarding the mild january the coldest yearly temp was actually on Jan 2 at Corwen in Wales with -16C in London, a record min then March was the coldest ever recorded. Although winter 62-63 is the period remembered in fact Feb-April 1962 was also very cold.

March was certainly very cold the coldest since 1892, February and April were not though Dave.

[Dave W]

In fact gusts of over 173 mph were recorded at Muckle Flugga lighthouse on 1st January 1992 (before the equipment broke). The wind speed of 177 mph was recorded at the radar dome on top of Saxa Vord – again just before the equipment was blown away. Although this is the fastest wind speed ever recorded in Britain in fact the official record is 173 mph on Cairngorm in 1986

[Nigel Bolton]

A gust of 154kt (177mph) was recorded on the anemometer at Enstone Airfield at 0357GMT on 26th Feb 2002. This was caused by a small, but powerful tornado that ripped across the airfield, on a cold front in association with a rapidly deepening low moving eastwards across the UK. Two aircraft were moved 50 feet and spun round, though with very little damage, but they were attached to concrete blocks weighing in at over one hundred weight, these shifted a similar distance.

N.

[Dave W]

Good greif i never knew that, it wasnt officially accepted was it? Surely it wouldnt read that high anyway.. where is Enstone airfield?

[Dave W]

http://www.torro.org...etter/mar02.php
Only a possible? Was this subsequently verified and if so why isnt more known ablout it?

[Nigel Bolton]

Unfortunately, this was only considered a possible tornado as the situation aftermath was not properly verified with ground truth by a TORRO site investigator. However, somewhere I do have a photo one pilot sent to me showing the numerical max gust reading, which remains unchanged until reset. I was assured during a phone call, that the anemo was working within tollerance.

Enstone can be found just southeast of Chipping Norton.

No other evidence of this tornado exists; the land in the area being generally flat and featureless. However, the tornado occurred on an active rearward sloping cold front associated with a rapidly deepening wave depression, a hotbed for the development of small, short-lived, but strong tornadoes. For reference the short lived strong tornado that demolished the stables at Newmarket, Suffolk on 03.01.1978 is a classic example. This I believe was a T5/T6. 154 knots would suggest a similar type of tornadic disturbance at Enstone.

N.

[Dave W]

Very odd there was no other evidence though. Anyway bottom line is its not an official reading i take it.