Sheffield hurricane 1962: the day of 96mph winds with one of the biggest storms ever to hit the city

Sixty years ago this week hurricane force winds brought destruction to Sheffield leaving four dead and 250 injured.
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February 16 1962 was a day many Sheffielders will never forget – with some describing it as ‘worse than the blitz’.

The strongest gust recorded on the day was 96mph and teh winds left a trail of devastation.

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The youngest of those who died was 17-year-old John William Johnson.

The front page of The Star February 16, 1962 after the hurricane ripped through the cityThe front page of The Star February 16, 1962 after the hurricane ripped through the city
The front page of The Star February 16, 1962 after the hurricane ripped through the city

Shirley Margaret Hill – wife of Brightside vicar Rev Colin Hill – also lost her life, with their vicarage damaged beyond repair.

Around 70,000 other Sheffield homes were damaged by the high winds with people being evacuated to emergency centres in the city.

A total of 250 people were left homeless by the disaster with the Attercliffe, Crookes and Heeley parts of the city worst hit.

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Vulcan’s comments on the 1962 storm
Sheffield Hurricane damage 16th February 1962
A workman starts demolition work at Brightside Vicarage in Firth Park Avenue, Sheffield, where Mrs Shirley Margaret Hill, wife of the vicar, the Rev Colin Hill, was killed during the gale.  The vicarage was so badly damaged it was beyond repair.Sheffield Hurricane damage 16th February 1962
A workman starts demolition work at Brightside Vicarage in Firth Park Avenue, Sheffield, where Mrs Shirley Margaret Hill, wife of the vicar, the Rev Colin Hill, was killed during the gale.  The vicarage was so badly damaged it was beyond repair.
Sheffield Hurricane damage 16th February 1962 A workman starts demolition work at Brightside Vicarage in Firth Park Avenue, Sheffield, where Mrs Shirley Margaret Hill, wife of the vicar, the Rev Colin Hill, was killed during the gale. The vicarage was so badly damaged it was beyond repair.
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Sheffield United's Bramall Lane ground suffered damage with a floodlight pylon being reduced to a heap of twisted metal.

And a packed London to Sheffield train narrowly escaped hitting debris on the track at Heeley.

The total cost of the damage was estimated to have been around £2 million - that's over £45 million in today's money

The storm went on to wreak havoc in Germany, killing 300 people in the city of Hamburg.

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