Windy weather gives me extreme anxiety.

[gavztheouch]

Anyone else get nervous when it’s windy like this. My house is not up to full strength and every time the wind blows like today i think of all the things getting stressed by the force of the wind. I have a very exposed site and a lightweight construction which doesn’t help to calm the nerves.

[SteamyTea]

Shame you can't ask our old hero Joe90. A SW gale brought his gable end down. He kept it quiet for a while.

@ToughButterCup had a similar problem, he looked into weather warnings for when the wind was going to come from a specific direction.

 

I am sitting out in the sun at the moment, summer storms tend to be further north, though some may remember the Fastnet Disaster 46 years ago, I never did find my tent, had to spend the next 2 nights in emergency accomodation.

[Kelvin]

Same here and my house is finished. I think I need a once in a generation storm that it withstands before I become less anxious. 

[SteamyTea]

10 minutes ago, Kelvin said:

once in a generation storm

Should get that in the next 4 years the way our climate is warming.

[ToughButterCup]

2 hours ago, gavztheouch said:

Anyone else get nervous when it’s windy like this. ...

 

Yes. 

And here's why

 

It happened a good few years ago. The eventual outcome was very positive ( I subsequently wrote a good few post about the consequences and outcomes) 

 

But I still get nervous. There is now no good reason to be, but trauma takes ages to heal. 

 

Here's how I cope (to an extent)

 

I prepare. 

 

I scan Met Office Weather Alerts and any that affect the area around Morecambe Bay I read in detail.

 

We are exposed to the East, and Northwest. I look more at gust values than the system wind numbers. Gusts in excess of 50 mean that it's worth cleaning up the site, trying things down and checking that the chainsaw works and has fuel. I charge the floodlights and put them ready in the kitchen. Car moved and parked in the wind shadow. Outside sheds locked. 

The wall which collapsed is now full of concrete that's over 5 years old. That's the strongest part of the house now. Doesn't concern me at all. 

 

But my stomach still churns. I'm no shrinking violet, enjoy some slightly risky sport (still). I used to sail a lot. And would deliberately go sailing at the start of the season in the biggest Spring storm  I could find. I'm happy testing myself. But not happy being tested out of my control.

 

But the trauma of the wall collapse still gets me - every single time there's a sustained 60mph or more gust. There's no way the house will suffer.

 

It's the lack of control . So I go for a fast hard hike up one of the local mountains - where it's inevitably windier. Come back down to relative calm. And sleep better when knackered.

[Iceverge]

I gave up the news entirely, except the FT occasionally and some economics and political podcasts. They're without exception tremendously boring. 

 

My worrys have decreased proportionately. 

 

I check a weather app ( or aviation weather) with plain numbers and no other sensationalist garbage. 

 

The world is determined to feed out fears as it sells but you can opt out of you choose. 

 

 

[Kelvin]

Well got through it unscathed. Quite a few trees down around us. Also had a power cut while we were cooking and the gateway kicked in and I never noticed until I picked my phone up and saw the notification. 

[JohnMo]

Got a list of jobs to do.

 

Branches fallen from trees, to sort. Shed roof panel started rattling about.

On house a roof trim panel came off, really difficult to get to now, 6m up, with another 8m drop under that.

 

Plus cleared a tree blown down across the road this afternoon.

 

Good job I took down the sail awning yesterday, that would have taken off.