10:32AM: MONDAY OCTOBER 28: LOCAL WEATHER UPDATE: Fear and trembling this morning as Pevensey Bay woke up to a full force gale
At about 5:00am the predicted ‘hurricane force’ winds arrived, seemingly from two different directions with sudden bursts and rushes. As aerials swung and water butt covers flew around Timberlaine Road, the TV and Radio began to report elements of devastation in other parts of the country
Hampshire through to Kent seems to have been in the eye of the storm.
Speeds of up to 92mph were recorded for bursts of wind at the Needles on the Isle of Wight.
At 9:30AM, the BBC was reporting that upwards of 100,000 people were without power across the South of England, but it would appear that the worst is now over as the winds abate and the sun comes out on the Sunshine Coast.
As neighbours and friends check garages, gardens and whether or not trees have come down on the local road network, with all local train services cancelled until later in the day when the rails can be checked, local people are breathing something of a sigh of relief.
The forecasters, as opposed to the situation with the ‘Great Gale of 1987′, clearly have much better tools to assess the oncoming weather system, and got it right.
In addition with the advent of social media tools, and twitter feeds that update live, it has also been possible to track what is happening on a minute by minute basis.
In the Bay, whilst we have suffered, with reports of a chimney pot that has come down in the Eastbourne Road around the 1066 Store and a tree that has fallen into the road, nonetheless the extent of disruption here appears to be minimal, in comparison with some other parts of the country.
Sadly there are now three fatalities being reported in the UK as a result of the hurricane force gales.
The thoughts of local people will no doubt be going out to the family of the poor 14 year old lad in Newhaven, who appears to have been the first fatality of the severe weather conditions.
Yesterday, as conditions worsened, he was swimming with a friend off the West Beach and was presumed ‘swept away by the current’.
The search was called off last night, and has resumed this morning, but sadly the boy is feared dead.
