 Synoptic chart of the storm on 16 February | |
| Type | European windstorm |
|---|---|
| Formed | 14 February 1962 |
| Dissipated | 18 February 1962 |
| Highest gust | 119 mph (192 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 950 mb (28 inHg) |
| Fatalities | 9 direct, 347 indirect |
| Areas affected | United Kingdom |
The Great Sheffield Gale is the name given to an intense European windstorm which crossed the United Kingdom in mid-February 1962, devastating the city of Sheffield in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Nine people were killed across the country, including four in Sheffield;[1] damage in the city was on a widespread and severe scale never before witnessed in a major British city from a European windstorm, and only later matched by the effects of the 1968 Scotland storm in Glasgow.
The extratropical cyclone responsible for the gale subsequently moved over the North Sea, contributing to the North Sea flood of 1962, a storm surge in which at least 347 people died, predominantly in West Germany.
- ^ "Friday 16 February 1962 (Sheffield Gale)" (PDF). Met Office. National Meteorological Library and Archive.