Sheffield hurricane 1962: the day of 96mph winds with one of the biggest storms ever to hit the city
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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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Hide AdThe youngest of those who died was 17-year-old John William Johnson.
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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Hide AdSheffield 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.