Great Storm of 1987 from Portland Bill, Dorset to Cromer, Norfolk the return period of the respective gusts were under 10 years. Sustained winds speeds greater than 75 mph were recorded for over an hour in southern Britain. According to the Beaufort scale of wind intensities, this storm had winds of hurricane force 12 (73 mph or greater); as the term "hurricane" refers to tropical cyclones originating in the North Atlantic or North Pacific, the descriptor "great storm" has tended to be reserved for those storms in recent years reaching this velocity. Hurricanes have a very different wind profile and distribution from storms, and
1932 Bahamas hurricane the churches were reportedly carried . Newspaper reports and photos helped to establish estimated prevailing winds on Green Turtle Cay that possibly exceeded during the hurricane. After the storm passed Abaco on September 6 and 7, several vessels caught in the storm recorded winds of Force 12 (Beaufort Wind Scale) and low barometric pressures; the steamship "Yankee Arrow" recorded a pressure of on September 7, while the nearby steamship "Deer Lodge" reported a lower pressure of . Although storm warnings were posted for the Florida and eastern United States coastline, the storm's recurvature prevented a landfall, leaving the main effects