The calm after Storm Imogen rages through the UK.

9th February 2016

Well, thankfully it is a lovely blue sky morning here in Cardiff in the wake of storm Imogen. The biggest storm this winter, named Imogen by the Met Office, had been building all last week and came to a climax yesterday causing widespread chaos across the whole of the UK.

 With offshore recordings of waves up to 19 metres and wind speeds of up to 91mph, Imogen has now passed leaving substantial areas of flooding, damage and power cuts. Fortunately, here at Celtic English Academy, we only sustained a broken window and some windswept hair, but everyone was talking about the storm.

Photo: Porthcawl harbour, wall less than an hour from Cardiff taking the full force of Storm Imogen.

The UK is certainly not famed for perfect weather, though when we do have unsettled weather it is generally more of an inconvenience than a threat to life. Throughout history, parts of the planet have encountered extreme natural disasters such as deadly earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and tornados. Although the UK does have some records of relatively small natural disasters throughout time, we are fortunate to be a seismically stable and an island which is naturally well protected.

 Despite the problems caused by Storm Imogen, many people ventured to the coast last night to watch (from a safe distance) waves crashing into cliff faces and sea defences. Being wrapped up in a big coat with a warm, cosy home to return to, there is nothing more dramatic and exciting than going to see one of Mother Nature’s shows. 

For more dynamic images and information about Storm Imogen, see the News Link.