Articles Entertainment & NewsI’d love to have a storm named after me, says weatherman Michael Fish
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I’d love to have a storm named after me, says weatherman Michael Fish

By The Press Association Oct 13, 2017

The retired forecaster famously told viewers not to worry hours before one of Britain’s worst weather events in living memory

Weatherman Michael Fish, who in 1987 failed to predict one of the UK’s most catastrophic cyclones, has said he would love to have a storm named after him.

The retired BBC forecaster famously told viewers not to worry hours before one of Britain’s worst weather events in living memory, which left 18 people dead and caused around £1 billion of damage.

Speaking ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Great Storm of 1987, the most destructive since 1703, he said: “I would love to have a storm named after me.”

The areas worst hit by wind in the Great Storm of 1987

Shortly before hurricane-force winds battered the south of England in 1987, Fish told viewers: “Earlier on today apparently a lady rang the BBC and said she heard that there was a hurricane on the way.

“Well, don’t worry if you’re watching, there isn’t.”

The incident has achieved such notoriety that it featured in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Fish, 73, of West London, has since said that the woman caller never existed and that it is one of a number of “myths” surrounding the incident.

“It’s a myth that we didn’t know it was coming, that there was a no mention of high winds, that I was the only one that got it wrong, the woman that rang the BBC – there wasn’t a woman at all actually – and that it was a hurricane,” he said.

“It (the woman caller) was one of those things that slipped out at the time but unfortunately there was no truth in it.”

Map locates the strongest gusts during the Great Storm of 1987

He said his “unfortunate remark” led to him being blamed for missing the cyclone but that he now views the incident in a positive way.

“At the time it was pretty horrendous and the press were relentless but as time went on it turned from a disaster to something that was quite something to be proud of.

“And when I saw my clip being used on the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games then I thought ‘I’ve come, that’s it – I’m now world famous with 18 billion people watching my forecast’.”

Cars destroyed during the storm

The storm brought carnage to the UK 30 years ago

Fish, who will feature in a BBC documentary to mark the 30th anniversary of the storm, said “you can never be certain” with the weather but that advances in technology make it unlikely that such a serious cyclone would be missed in the future.

“I don’t think we would miss a storm like this if it happened again,” he added.

Hurricane damage in 1987

Hurricane damage in 1987

He said that weather warning systems have also improved drastically since the 1980s, including the Met Office scheme of naming serious storms.

“There was a warning system at the time but it was next to useless and there’s now a very efficient and very good and very clear system of warnings,” he added.

“Also working well so that the public and press get more of a handle on these things is the fact that we name the really vicious storms, which makes them easier to follow.

“They’re not going to name one Michael which is unfortunate – I would love to have a storm named after me but it would be a particularly bad season if they got to M in the alphabet.”

What memories do you have of the great storm?

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