Storm

[Thelma Sanders]

I'm going to tie myself to the armchair so I can't blow away if the roof goes for a burton like it did in '87!

[Bigmallly]

A lesson I learned many years ago after ther sad death of a friends wife is to keep looking up as you don't know what is gonna come down.........she was decapitated in bad winds..........

[veggiechicken]

Wish you hadn't told us that BM ^^^^ How dreadful

[Bigmallly]

Wish you hadn't told us that BM ^^^^ How dreadful

Sorry...........just making everyone aware of potential hazards.

[Bren In Pots]

That's it with storm damage its not just property that gets damaged

[Bigmallly]

That's true Bren, all you can do is try to be as safe as possible.

[SarzWix]

Might be worth checking updated forecasts regularly as the path and impact of the storm is changing almost hourly at the mo. The winds forecast to hit my area have been downgraded from 40+mph to 20+.

[Thelma Sanders]

Some discussion on Netweather thinks the worst will hit France rather than the UK.

BBC local forecast have downgraded a lot, yet MET office (who give the BBC the data) have hardly budged at all. Makes me wonder

[Bill HH]

One wonders what Michael Fish has to say on the subject.

[veggiechicken]

Here you are Bill - have a listen!! BBC News - UK storms: Michael Fish's forecast for England and Wales

[Bill HH]

I do feel sorry for Michael Fish, the comments he made will haunt him to his grave.

[Olorin2001]

Well Michael Fish was correct, hurricanes only occur within the tropics, once outside that area they are technically not hurricanes any more.

[Olorin2001]

Got an email from a greenhouse supply company this morning about the storm, relevent so I copied it and pasted it here, while you still got time to take action.

Storm Christian has been developing over the Atlantic over the last few days and has been heading towards the UK at over 80 mph. It looks as though the high winds may cause some significant damage over the next 48 hours or so - particularly in the south of England.

A greenhouse is one of the areas of the garden that is vulnerable to wind, so whether your greenhouse is new or old, here are a few tips to help you prepare for the coming storm:

Check your greenhouse over. Is everything in place as it should be? Now is the time to tighten any loose nuts or screws, replace any missing glazing clips and generally check that everything is ship shape. If any roof vents have slid out of line, then these should be re-aligned so that they fit nicely.
Close all the vents and doors. If you have auto-vents, then you may wish to tie your vents shut with string or wire just for the storm ( remember to untie them afterwards so that the auto-vents can open) If your door has a lock, lock it. If not, prop it shut with a brick or similar to stop the wind blowing it open.
If for any reason your greenhouse has a missing pane of glass, then it is a good idea to block the hole for the duration of the storm so that the wind can't get in the greenhouse - even something as simple as an old blanket or towel with clothes pegs can stop the wind getting into the greenhouse as a a temporary measure.
It is also vital that your greenhouse is anchored down to the floor or base. If your greenhouse has only a few anchoring points or you are worried about the soundness of the base itself then it may be a good idea to weigh the greenhouse down to provide anchorage by placing paving slabs or sandbags over one of the bottom flanges of the greenhouse cill.
If your greenhouse happens to be in a half built state, then it is also vital that it is weighed down by sandbags or slabs at the bottom if you haven't had chance to anchor it down yet.
Other items in your garden are also vulnerable: plastic furniture should be put away or weighed down and trampolines would also benefit from being weighed down at the bottom.

[Bren In Pots]

Good advice there Olorin I spent a bit of time going over mine yesterday including disconnecting the auto vents. Stay safe out there everyone.

[WilliamD]

Just propped up the fence panels on the west-facing edge of the garden. One very windy night a couple of years ago they were blown out, taking lumps of the concrete posts with them, so taking no chances this time.