Storm Force Britain's Wildest Weather

About this book

Storms are the most eye-catching of all types of weather and often hit the headlines. They can bring violent winds, torrential rain, thunder, lightning, devastating hailstones and, sometimes, waterspouts and tornadoes. The consequences range from death and destruction on a horrendous scale to shipwrecks and flooding of biblical proportions. This book, written by two well-known TV weather forecasters, is published to mark the twentieth anniversary of the October 1987 hurricane that Michael Fish famously failed to predict. This great storm, which flattened much of south-eastern England, receives detailed coverage as do many other instances of weather at its worst.

Here are extraordinary human stories recalling the appalling havoc wrought along England's East Coast in January 1953, the millions of pounds of damage following the infamous Burns Night storm in Scotland, and flood disasters in the West Country that overwhelmed such villages as Lynmouth and Boscastle, The increasing incidence of violent storms as a result of climate change receives full attention. A sequel to the same authors' best-selling "Frozen in Time", this is a book with many dramatic photographs that also provides an exciting read and is at the same time immensely thought provoking.

Customer Reviews

Biography

Ian McCaskill Ian McCaskill was born in Glasgow. Following a stint in the RAF, he joined the Met Office in 1961 and became a member of the BBC's forecasting team where he remained until his retirement from the Met Office on 31 July 1998. As a BBC weatherman, Ian was hugely popular for his cheery, sometimes eccentric and always entertaining style. Since retiring from regular weather forecasting duties, he has been a guest on numerous TV programmes, including Masterchef, Style Challenge and Fit Club. His distinctive style has made him the most imitated BBC TV weather forecaster, culminating in the ultimate accolade - his own Spitting Image puppet. Michael Fish Born in Eastbourne and a graduate of City University, London, Michael Fish was the longest serving weather presenter on British television, taking up the role in 1974. For many people, he is synonymous with the hurricane of October 1987, being the BBC TV weather forecaster on air on the night of the great storm. Michael was awarded the MBE in 2004 for services to broadcasting. He announced his retirement from forecasting and he made his final forecast on October 6, 2004 on the BBC Ten O'Clock News bulletin.