Eastern England is one of the more sheltered parts of the UK, since the windiest areas are to the north and west, closer to the track of Atlantic storms. The strongest winds are associated with the passage of deep depressions across or close to the UK. The frequency of depressions is greatest during the winter months so this is when the strongest winds normally occur. The graph shows a typical variation of the monthly mean speeds and highest gusts.
Winds are usually stronger by day than by night due to increased turbulence caused by temperature rise, resulting in higher average speeds and more gusty winds. Periods of very light or calm winds are more prevalent inland, with coastal areas having similar wind directions to inland locations but higher wind speeds.
The variation in monthly mean speeds (average of a continuous record) and highest gusts ('instantaneous' speed averaged over about 3 seconds) at Waddington is shown below.
Wind direction is defined as the direction from which the wind is blowing. As Atlantic depressions pass by the UK the wind typically starts to blow from the south or south-west, but later comes from the west or north-west as the depression moves away. Directions between south and north-west account for the majority of occasions and the strongest winds nearly always blow from this range of directions. Spring time also tends to have a maximum of winds from the north east, due to a build up of high pressure over Scandinavia at this time of year.
In coastal areas sea breezes are an important feature of the weather in late spring and summer when the land is warming up and the sea still relatively cool. These start at the coast and then progress inland bringing a drop in temperature. The inland penetration is dependent on the temperature difference land to sea and the strength of convective activity.
Averaged across the year, the wind rose for Coltishall shows that the prevailing wind direction is from the south-west.
A day of gale is defined as a day on which the wind speed attains a mean value of 34 knots or more over any period of 10 minutes. Much of East Anglia and Lincolnshire has no more than 2 days of gale each year, but exposed coasts average about 5 gales each year. Coastal areas of east Yorkshire and Humberside average about 10 days of gale a year. Two particularly noteworthy gale events occurred in January 1976 and October 1987. On 2 January 1976 a depression moved across Scotland to the North Sea causing storm force winds that particularly affected the north, east and Midland areas of England. Gusts exceeding 90 knots were reported in East Anglia and sea walls were breached at Walcott in Norfolk and Cleethorpes on Humberside causing extensive damage. The 'Great Storm' of 15-16 October 1987 caused widespread damage across south-east England. The strongest gust recorded in Eastern England was 87 knots at Shoeburyness (Landwick) in Essex.
Eastern England has the greatest frequency of tornadoes in the UK. A tornado is a violently-rotating column of air, caused by the rapid displacement of warm moist air by cold dense air often associated with the occurrence of active cold fronts. It will typically last for a few minutes, track across the land for 2 to 5 km and have a diameter of 20 to 100 metres. On average, 33 tornados are reported each year in the UK although the number can vary significantly from year to year. The UK has the highest frequency of reported tornadoes per unit area in the world, although they are nowhere near as intense as those reported in the USA.
Both the longest track tornado and the largest outbreak of tornadoes in the UK occurred in Eastern England. On 21 May 1950, a tornado which touched-down at Little London (Buckinghamshire) tracked 107 km to Coveney (Cambridgeshire). From there it travelled another 53 km to Shipdham (Norfolk) before disappearing out into the North Sea. The largest tornado outbreak in the UK occurred on 21 November 1981 when tornadoes were formed as an active cold front swept across East Anglia. 105 tornadoes were reported across the Midlands and Eastern England with Norfolk being hit by at least 13. This was also the largest outbreak recorded in Europe.
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