STORM – Another Gale on the North East Coast

Accreditation The Redcar and Saltburn-by-the-Sea Gazette. 22/11/1878

ANOTHER GALE ON THE NORTH EAST COAST

     A terrific north-easterly gale, accompanied with drenching showers of rain, raged on the coast last Friday, which was certainly the wildest day that had been experienced at Redcar this winter, or indeed for several winters past, no storm of such violence having visited this part since the memorable one of 9th, December, 1874, when two ships were driven through Coatham pier, rendering it into three parts, and there were nine vessels ashore between the Tees and Saltburn. Old sailors said that there had not been such a sea since the Whitsuntide storm of 1860. when there were twelve sailing vessels and one steamer wrecked on our coast. The storm arose at ten o’clock on Thursday night, and went on gradually increasing in violence until Friday afternoon. Far as the eye could reach the sea was breaking heavily, and the his water and waves reached up to the decks of the piers. To show the force of the gale, it may be mentioned that the ebb tide did not recede more than half the usual distance, and this notwithstanding that the tides were falling off; with full spring tides matters must have been much worse at high water.

     Timely warning that a gale might be expected had been given, and to this may likely be attributed the fortunate circumstance that no vessels came in sight during the day, though the coastguard and lifeboat men held themselves in readiness, in case their services should be required, and at the Free Gardeners’ lifeboat house look out was kept all through the night.

     Some old houses at the east end of the High Street were partially un-roofed, the tiles from which were carried over the tops of the houses into the Back Lane. Glass conservatories were also greatly damaged, and at Warrenby the windows of several houses were blown out. When the gale was at its height, passage along the streets was dangerous, on account of the chimney pots and slates that were blowing about. Several fields in the neighbourhood became flooded, through the vast accumulations of snow melting and the heavy rain. During Saturday the gale moderated.

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dean July 31, 2011 Weather & Tides