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Weathering the storms: 37 pictures from decades of Midlands weather and how we coped

Across the Midlands, we do our best to carry on whatever the weather, but there are times when conditions really do stop play and cause widespread disruption.

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By Tania Taylor
Published

With Storm Goretti gripping the region, we’ve assembled an eclectic selection of images from our archives to look back at some of the challenging weather the Midlands has endured over the decades.

The collection includes a church damaged by lightning, a Shropshire farmer seeking advice from the Birmingham Met Office, and a boost for a Tipton firm producing aluminium guttering, whose same-day services benefited from the wet winter of 1980.

There are also some fantastic examples of community spirit: from football fans armed with garden forks battling to ensure a match went ahead despite the weather, to the University of Wolverhampton stepping in to help a Japanese schools’ rugby team by offering indoor training facilities during heavy snow. Even a local Territorial Army makes an appearance, travelling to a Welsh valley to help free a community cut off by snow — proving that bad weather does not always dampen our spirits.

Birmingham Meteorological Office was helping businesses to plan for extremes of weather: The story said: 'One of our clients, a Shropshire (chicken) farmer, started using our service after he suffered tens of thousands of fatalities'. The photograph shows Colin Rutherford (left) and Paul Bridge in February 1991.
Birmingham Meteorological Office was helping businesses to plan for extremes of weather: The story said: 'One of our clients, a Shropshire (chicken) farmer, started using our service after he suffered tens of thousands of fatalities'. The photograph shows Colin Rutherford (left) and Paul Bridge in February 1991.
'Come rain or shine, every morning at 9am John Day can be found at the bottom of his garden in Aldridge. For 50 years he has checked rain gauges, thermometers and hydrometers and logged the details for the Metrological Office. He said "Once you start you have to keep recording... Year by year it gets more interesting and you can look back at what happens." Dates which stick in his mind include February 13, 1947 - the day his son was born.' John is pictured here with his commemorative crystal decanter as the Met Office's longest-running amateur weather observer, from his garden observatory in Walsall Wood Road, Aldridge in August 1993.
'Come rain or shine, every morning at 9am John Day can be found at the bottom of his garden in Aldridge. For 50 years he has checked rain gauges, thermometers and hydrometers and logged the details for the Metrological Office. He said "Once you start you have to keep recording... Year by year it gets more interesting and you can look back at what happens." Dates which stick in his mind include February 13, 1947 - the day his son was born.' John is pictured here with his commemorative crystal decanter as the Met Office's longest-running amateur weather observer, from his garden observatory in Walsall Wood Road, Aldridge in August 1993.
A Westland Whirlwind helicopter landed near Lawley crossroads in bad visibility on February 7, 1963. Picture: Ron Gill
A Westland Whirlwind helicopter landed near Lawley crossroads in bad visibility on February 7, 1963. Picture: Ron Gill
Potholes meant Hall End Lane in Pattingham suffered badly during the wet weather of December 1978.
Potholes meant Hall End Lane in Pattingham suffered badly during the wet weather of December 1978.
Storm damage in Shrewsbury on February 26, 1990. The caption reads: 'One Shrewsbury garden looked as though it had been struck by an earthquake. Two garden sheds at the home of Mrs Pat Milsom, of Stonehurst Drive, were upended when a 90 foot Scots Pine was uprooted.' It was carried with a number of stories about storms lashing the British Isles 'At least nine people died today as 80mph gales swept across the British Isles.'
Storm damage in Shrewsbury on February 26, 1990. The caption reads: 'One Shrewsbury garden looked as though it had been struck by an earthquake. Two garden sheds at the home of Mrs Pat Milsom, of Stonehurst Drive, were upended when a 90 foot Scots Pine was uprooted.' It was carried with a number of stories about storms lashing the British Isles 'At least nine people died today as 80mph gales swept across the British Isles.'
Ivor Perks and Samuel Meller with a damaged fusebox cover, after St John the Baptist Church, Hammerwich, near Lichfield, was struck by lightning in May 1981.
Ivor Perks and Samuel Meller with a damaged fusebox cover, after St John the Baptist Church, Hammerwich, near Lichfield, was struck by lightning in May 1981.
River Severn flooding in Bewdley in 2023.
River Severn flooding in Bewdley in 2023.
A tent or marquee at Shrewsbury Flower Show damaged by a gale or storm. Date is said to be 1934. A Shrewsbury Chronicle report of the show in August 1934 does not mention any such damage, but does mention in passing that there had been stormy weather the previous weekend, so perhaps this happened then, assuming 1934 date is correct. Picture emailed in by David Hughes of Shrewsbury. david.lorraine@talktalk.net 01743 236753 and was one of two showing the damage, about which he said: 'They were taken in 1934 at the time of the Flower Show. There was obviously a severe gale and one picture shows the stage that has been badly damaged. On the rear is written that the canopy had been torn and supporting poles snapped. The other shows a large tent that has been demolished and on the rear is written ‘’Piggots big Acre Tent ripped to ribbons and the poles snapped in places’’..." He added: 'I’m afraid I cannot tell you much more about the pictures. They were among my father (Stanley Hughes) effects when he died and I kept them for sentimental reasons. My father was one of a group of men working on the preparation of the Flower Show and I think they were employed by a firm then called Shrewsbury Building Contractors. I can only assume the photos were taken by one of the other workers. I was born in Shrewsbury and have lived most of my life here. I am 77 years old now and my sources for information have all passed on...' Library code: Shrewsbury nostalgia 2016.
A weather-damaged tent or marquee at Shrewsbury Flower Show in August 1934. A Shrewsbury Chronicle report of the show in 1934 does not mention any such damage, but does mention in passing that there had been stormy weather the previous weekend. The picture was shared by David Hughes, who said: 'They were taken in 1934 at the time of the Flower Show.’ Mr Hughes’ father, Stanley Hughes, was one of a group of men working on the preparation of the Flower Show, possibly employed by a firm then called Shrewsbury Building Contractors.
Bad weather in 2023 meant that stall holders at the Oswestry Food & Drink Festival in were packing up early. Packing up is Henstone Distillery and Darren Blackburn, Lizzie Toller-Blackburn,Flo Toller, Rafe Toller, Chris Toller and Henry Toller.
Bad weather in 2023 meant that stall holders at the Oswestry Food & Drink Festival in were packing up early. Packing up is Henstone Distillery and Darren Blackburn, Lizzie Toller-Blackburn,Flo Toller, Rafe Toller, Chris Toller and Henry Toller.
Wedges Mills Carnival, 1977. Waiting for the rain to stop is Phillip Reaney, dressed as a miner, carrying an umbrella in the rain.
Wedges Mills Carnival, 1977. Waiting for the rain to stop is Phillip Reaney, dressed as a miner, carrying an umbrella in the rain.