Monday, August 11, 2014

Hurricane Bertha Was A Dud Until Remnants Hit Britain

Damage in Britain from the remnants of Hurricane
Bertha. Photo from Twitter, @HumberbeatRoads
via The Guardian 
This year's Hurricane Bertha won't be remembered much in the United States since it didn't do much of anything to the Great Old US of A.  

You probably don't remember her now, or never knew it existed.

But it did exist; skirting through the Caribbean as a tropical storm, briefly turning into a lower level hurricane north of the Bahamas last week, then pretty much falling apart.

However, the remnants hit Britain over the weekend, and they'll sure as hell remember Bertha, given the wind, severe thunderstorms, flooding and high tides Britain endured over the weekend. 

A nasty squall line in Britain Sunday
thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Bertha.  
The storm brought coastal wind gusts of 50-60 mph. Bertha brought ot some area a month's worth of rain in a day, leading to significant flooding.

Severe thunderstorms raked much of the region, toppling trees and powerlines and damaging buildings.

Major summer festivals were cancelled or postponed as well, as this type of storm doesn't usually happen in Britain during August.  

Of course, the Guardian quotes people with that famous stiff upper lip (and you can hear the wonderful British accent by just reading the quote:

"Claire Trapnell was doggedly putting out the chairs and tables outside the beachside Cove West cafe and restaurant. 'People will still come out. Look at those joggers - it doesn't put them. We're English, we're used to a bit of rain and wind. Anyway I like it when the tide is high and the waves come bashing in. It makes me as if I'm on a boat. I like boats.'"

Still, Britain's storminess goes to show you that sometimes the remnants of a hurricane are worse than the actual hurricane.

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