Great Storm of 1854

Eyewitness accounts record the flattening of tents and uprooting of trees, and at least 37 ships were either severely damaged or wrecked.

It was also discovered that the storm had been tracked across Europe prior to its arrival off Crimea, but no warning was sent.

As a result of this latter occurrence, several countries quickly launched independent meteorological services.

In France, Urbain Le Verrier, director of the Observatoire de Paris, was commanded to set up a storm warning system; this later developed into an international meteorological service.

[2] Though it is impossible to precisely calculate the strength or speed of the wind, estimates have placed it around force 11 on the Beaufort Scale.