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Science Frontiers ONLINE No. 61: Jan-Feb 1989 |
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Unusual Gust Of Wind
 Anemograph trace showing 106-mph wind gust, February 7, 1988. |
It was a day with modest winds of 5-10 mph, with some gusts to 20 mph. Suddenly at 2100 GMT, the anemometer at Hazelrigg weather station registered a gust at 106 mph. Almost immediately after, the wind dropped to only 5 mph.
A gust of this strength should have caused considerable damage. A few branches and twigs were down in a nearby wood, but the major effect seems to have been the transportation of a 75-kilogram sheep feeding trough across a distance of 5.1 meters! Conclusion: A sudden, small squall had passed through.
(Reynolds, David J.; "Unusual Gust of Wind in Lancashire 7th February 1988," Journal of Meteorology U.K., 13:284, 1988.)
Comment. The wind is really playing tricks on the English, with hundreds of mysterious circles cut into field crops and now this dislocated sheep trough. Or is it just weather?