A SEVERE windstorm battered the UK more than a century ago, producing some of the strongest winds the country has ever seen, recovered weather records have revealed.
Old weather measurements, first recorded on paper after Storm Ulysses hit in February 1903, have shed new light on what was one of the most severe storms to have hit these shores.
A team University of Reading scientists converted hand-written data into digital records, helping to better understand other historical storms, floods and heatwaves.
These observations from the past can help experts understand the risks of extreme weather now and in the future.
Prof Ed Hawkins, a climate scientist at the University of Reading and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, led the research. He said: “We knew the storm we analysed was a big one, but we didn’t know our rescued data would show that it is among the top four storms for strongest winds across England and Wales.
“This study is a great example of how rescuing old paper records can help us to better understand storms from decades gone by. Unlocking these secrets from the past could transform our understanding of extreme weather and the risks they pose to us today.”
Published in Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences on Monday, April 24, the research indicates that many pre-1950 storms are left unstudied as billions of pieces of data only exist on paper, stored in archives around the world.
But Prof Hawkins’ team delved into these sources to transfer these hand-written observations relating to Storm Ulysses from paper to digital.
The cyclone caused multiple deaths and heavily damaged infrastructure and ships when it passed across Ireland and the UK between February 26 and 27, 1903.
From the new digital data, the team was able to use techniques similar to modern weather forecasting to simulate the storm and accurately assess the strength of Storm Ulysses’ gails.
Comparisons with independent weather observations such as rainfall data, as well as photographs and written accounts from 1903 that described the devastation caused by the cyclone, helped to provide credibility for the reconstruction.
This reanalysis helps to understand the risks of extreme weather events. Having information about such a rare event provides valuable insight into the potential damage a similar storm could cause in the future.
Storm Ulysses’ name came from the damage to thousands of trees in Dublin, as mentioned in James Joyce’s novel Ulysses, which is set the year after the storm.
