CO2 levels were a very safe 280 ppm.
The Great Storm of 1703 is arguably the most severe storm or natural disaster ever recorded in the southern part of Britain. It affected southern England and the English Channel. A 120-mph (193-km/h) perfect hurricane, it started on 24 November, and did not die down until 2 December 1703.
Observers at the time recorded barometric readings as low as 973 millibars (measured by William Derham in South Essex) but it has been suggested that the storm may have deepened to 950 millibars over the Midlands.
Temperatures during that time were sometimes cold enough to freeze over the Thames. Apparently the low CO2 levels loaded the dice for extreme weather.
“In London a storm raged which destroyed 1,500 houses, in the year 944 ; a similar calamitous storm took place and destroyed 500 houses in the metropolis, October 5, 1091 ; it thundered 15 days successively, with tempests of rain and wind, A.D. 1233; by the storm called the ” Great Storm” of November 26, 1703, the loss sustained in London alone was calculated at £2,000,000; the number of persons drowned in the floods of the Severn and Thames, and lost on the coast of Holland, and in ships blown from their anchors and never heard of afterwards, is thought to have been 8,000 ; a thunderstorm, which did vast damage in London, and throughout almost the whole of England, occurred November 8, 1800 ; a hurricane visited London and its neighbourhood, October 28, 1838, which did great damage to buildings.”
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/36268101
5 Feb 1853
The UK is not in a ‘hurricane’ belt but there is nothing much to halt the mixing of very warm sub-tropical air with frigid polar air, under cyclogenesis pressure dips, with steep temperature inclines and coriolis conditions with a impish Jet stream – anything can occur and does. Fortunately, these are not frequent events but they do happen – to blame ‘extreme weather’ on mankind is simply facetious. These events are just weather, nature is capricious and likes to rough it up – because we are underneath it – we shouldn’t take it too personally – it’s just momma Gaia having fun.
to blame ‘extreme weather’ on mankind is simply facetious.
Is this the derivation as faeces ? ; )
Here’s another one for you from 1839 Ireland – your post triggered some memory I had of this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Big_Wind