1968 Scotland storm
| Type |
European windstorm Extratropical cyclone |
|---|---|
| Formed | 12 January 1968 |
| Dissipated | 18 January 1968 |
| Lowest pressure | 956 mb (28.2 inHg) |
| Highest gust | 140 mph (230 km/h) |
| Damage | £30 million (1968 USD) |
| Areas affected | Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, Denmark |
The 1968 Scotland storm (or Hurricane Low Q) was a deadly storm that moved through the Central Belt of Scotland during mid January 1968. It was described as Central Scotland's worst natural disaster since records began and the worst gale in the United Kingdom. Some said that the damage resembled what happened during the Clydebank Blitz in 1941. 20 people died from the storm, with 9 dead in Glasgow. 700 people were left homeless.
A 134 mph (216 km/h) wind gust was recorded at Great Dun Fell in Cumbria, England. At the time this was the strongest wind gust ever recorded in the United Kingdom, though this was superseded in 1986 when a 173 mph (278 km/h) gust was recorded at Cairn Gorm.
The origins of this violent storm appear to be from a cold front near Bermuda on 13 January 1968. The system moved north of the Azores the next day and still appeared as a shallow low pressure area. In the next 24 hours, this low explosively deepened 50 millibars to 956 mb (28.2 inHg) and passed over Central Scotland. The storm continued to move over Northern Europe before dissipating on 18 January 1968.
15 January 1968 began as a mild day, then temperatures grew cooler as the day progressed. The highest temperature on that day was 11.8 °C (53.2 °F) at St. James's Park, London and the lowest was 5.1 °C (41.2 °F) which at Lerwick, Shetland. The most rainfall on 15 January in the British Isles was 24.9 mm (0.98 in) at South Barrule. In Glasgow alone, over 300 houses were destroyed and 70,000 homes were damaged. Due to the strong winds, half of Glasgow's council houses were damaged. Many people evacuated the then Europe's tallest flats as they began swaying. Officials said at least seven ships sank or broke up adrift causing over hundreds of thousands of pounds. Off the east coast of Scotland, a drilling rig called Sea Quest was set adrift in rough seas. Over a thousand mature trees were downed in the Central Belt, as well as power lines. In total the storm felled 8,000 hectares of forest across Scotland (1.6 million cubic metres of timber). A Glasgow police spokesman said that it was 'absolute havoc' in the city. Electrical power also failed in Glasgow, leaving the whole city in darkness.
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