blowin a hooly

 shetland in windy day shocker! 

       In the seven and a half years i have worked on Shetland I have witnessed some awesome winds, I remember during the commissioning stage the site shut for 80MPH winds me and gary park went out jaicket kite`ing up the hills round Mavis, it was a class way to spend the afternoon. Getting blown up hill with our jackets open, poking our heads above a cairn to be battered by the tremendous power of the wind, we had to shout at each other to be heard and turn away from the wind to breath, but i am not so sure the company would have seen it as such a great idea

             

gary oot at Mavis in the breeze!

    .To give folks an idea of how severe the weather really can be in Bonnie Shetland, I will go back to the so called "Hogmanay Hurricane" of 31st Dec 1991-1st Jan 1992. It’s not unusual for Shetland to get gales at the festive time of year. On average, January is Shetlands windiest month with an average of 8 days with gale force winds. The storm which walloped Shetland that particular New Year was rather exceptional however! On that Hogmanay night Dec91 – 1 Jan 92 Shetland experienced the worst storm in living memory with wind speeds of up to 197mph recorded. It is probable that the wind was even stronger in some places where there was no anemometer to register the force of the gales.  The storm had serious consequences across Shetland with widespread structural damage and two deaths. Two bird watchers in a hut at the bird sanctuary at Hermaness in Unst were blown over the cliff! My work colleague Duncan Thompson remembers it well he was heading out first footing (a great Scottish tradition now sadly dying off) the wind caught his jacket totally ripping off his zipper which then whipped open catapulting his first footing new years bottle to be smashed on the ground, a bad start to 92 for him but not a game ender he went back and binned that jacket and got a fresh bottle, Nae wee bit wind wiz gonna pit a stoap tae his perty , he still says sadly it was a cream of the barley!

Before going to work on Shetland I was warned by Bates`y to watch out for Shetland door! What’s that I asked honestly? He told me all the cars doors have a big crease on the sides due to folk parking with their car back against the wind as soon as they open the door the wind whisks the door out their hands and flies into the side panel making a big crease in the car door, sure nough every hire car or van has a warning sticker in it beware shetland is windy you are responsible! while I have had difficulty myself with doors, ive never caused a crease but i do know some who have, one big chap had said he tried his bloody best to hold the door back but naw the wind won, works vans etc generally now have an extra strap attached to the doors to stop them going that far round I know of at least two incidents of that happening to people, and this day in my wee hire car in high wind. (not the companys car) i was very careful to park the car where i opened the door into the wind so that it would blow it shut not open, only 45Mph winds today arcording to the forcast! but strong enough to make me double check wind direction before opening the door