Storm Arwen 26th / 27th November 2021

On Friday Cumbria was hit by Storm Arwen. The Met Offices Met Office Principal Meteorologist Dan Suri said:-

“Storm Arwen’s impacts are mainly associated with high winds as the storm sinks southwards and will widely bring gusts of up to 65mph in coastal areas, although slightly stronger in the northeast, with in excess of 75mph possible in exposed locations.” 

I was hunkered down in Kendal experiencing high winds overnight of Friday 26th November 2021. I woke up to snow on the high fells and I decided not to drive and went for a fabulous walk on the local hills looking longingly across at Lord’s Lot where my wood sits on the west side facing away from me.



The village nearby had no electricity and I saw Facebook posts of local people clearing the roads where trees had fallen. I decided not to visit as I know people on the roads were there to bring help to those cut off and vulnerable people. Finally today, Monday 29th November, I have been able to visit to see what the damage is. It was 1ºc when I visited and the back roads have been gritted so I was able to visit and park as usual. I could see that none of my trees had come down on the road which was a relief. However I have lost trees.



3 large willows have fallen

One has looked unwell for a while and only produced leaves on part of the tree. It is the partner to Willhamena which thankfully is standing tall and sturdy. Part of the tree remains.






Another of the willows is a favourite although hasn’t quite taken on her name (working title Venus as in one of the Williams sisters and perched high up so fitting to be named after a heavenly body). This tree was full of bumblebees this summer and created a nice platform on an outcrop which may be the clue to the problem. I had a camera trap situated nearby and hoped I may have caught the dramatic moment of the Venus falling. However a badger had nutted the camera so it was pointing at the floor when the incident occurred!






Before:




1 oak is down

This oak is a neighbour to Cecelia who, I am pleased to report, is fine. While Cecelia’s roots wrap around the rocks this fallen oak, no doubt an offspring from Cecelia, sits on top of that rocky platform so the roots are shallow and clearly were not sufficient for the level of winds experienced from Storm Arwen.





Additional photographs added a week later with my friend in shot to give some scale. The circumference of the trunk is 2m and I reckon it is 10m until the branches start to emerge.


Before Arwen - the one beyond is Cecelia safely tucked into the rocky bank.






1 Rowan down

This one is perplexing - the rowan is middle aged, tucked into the hillside and healthy looking. The vulnerability was probably that she stood alone with no trees around to give any protection as the wind whipped through the valley from the north.




Rowan tree in full summer leaf with berries - standing alone which may have been the problem

Photos from one week later added and I can see the problem. The roots go into rock especially on the north side. The tree has fallen over to the north. Storms in Cumbria are usually from the south west which is the prevailing wind and there really was no protection for this lone tree.It may continue to grow as some of the roots remain in the ground.






1 Silver birch by the beck has fallen


New pics added below a week later - I think there are 3 silver birches down. It's clearer to see without the snow.





1 Cherry lost a couple of big branches




Happily the tree looks healthy still.



The whole site does look rather fabulous in the snow though and since none of the trees crashed across a fence or is left looking unsafe I feel lucky to have witnessed the outcome of incredible power unleashed on Bel's Wood without having significant consequences. 
















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