42mph winds! Makes Hurricane Katrina look like a breeze.

Look forward to hearing about the Great Storm of 2008 for the next 20 years.

Dave, Preston,

I think I might just nail my feet to the floorboards to be on the safe side,unless the great flood cometh too in which case.Keep the cat in,secure all wheelie bins,get ready for the ride of your life!!!

ed, glasgow, scotland,u.k

The weather forecasts these days are available every ten minutes during the day and most of the time they are inaccurate. Ever since the hurricane of 1987 they have used overkill so that they won't have any bad publicity ,and the press doesn't help. Get a bit of frost and its, temperatures are plumetting, what a fine word that is.! For every occasion there is a word used to dramatise the situation. One point though, ships aren't able to park up like people with cars and they often get caught in storms so when severe weather appears they have to do their best to sail though it. For landlubbers who don't understand, the ferries don't sail in bad wather, 'elf and safety y'know.

Phil de Buquet, Newport, England

No doubt the politicians will blame it on global warming and charge us a wind tax and a rain tax, and the binmen will refuse to take away rubbish that has been caused by it, and the council will levy an extra charge to do so -- oh, and trees will be banned from producing leaves, because they litter up the streets like plastic bags.

Paul Downes, Milton Keynes, Bucks

Yes - it was a little inclement today. Think staying at home would have been a better idea.

Isabel Losada, Battersea, London

KR, I witnessed a Tornado in Travis count some years ago... Today's storm, compared with central Texas ones, is just a few drops of water (well, on the other hand, here you'll never see 110°F)

Salvatore, Cambridge, UK

Ooooh! what powerful words, lashed, pummeling, battered, ferocious, intensity, explosive, vigorous, blasting AND more than 100 flights cancelled. Gosh!

Will Britain survive? Cannot wait for the next installment.

Bill, Suzhou, China

The wind last night was, without a doubt, horrendous. I reside in a small four-level building and could hear the gusts swirling down the chimney and behind the fireplace.
I remember thinking - or should I say, worrying - that one of the outside trees would be cleaved in half, and would end up through my bedroom window; not a pleasant thought...
It does make you think about all this climate change patter that you hear day in day out. British weather has become so unseasonable it's unreal; I live in Coventry, and we haven't had so much as a mite of snow; It makes you wonder where it will all end; searing summers, hurricane winters, what next?

mark carlyon, coventry, west midlands

Is this the most miserable Monday of the 21st century?! Please people, it's just a spot of rain, get some perspective!

Meg, Pembs,

Gosh. Sounds like south Texas weather.

KR, Austin, Texas, USA

Media hype is OTT, Nice day up here in Cumbria.

John, Carlisle, Cumbria

I left home this morning at 8am and travelled to London by car. Hardly any wind to speak of or indeed rain for that matter. I came back tonight, stopping for a chinese meal (yuk) near Heathrow at around 3pm. Yes it rained in London and yes, it was a tad breezy round Heathrow, but that was about it. No horrendous weather.

I travelled back to Chester and again, apart from a little rain, nowt else.

The weather guys over egged it again, or should I say there computer models got it wrong.

David, Chester, UK

Well said Ben. But I feel for those who have no shelter from the weather.

Helena, Exeter, Devon

Oh please I don't think I can take any more of the media hype

80 mph winds ...in March...what are the odds ????

Run to the hills everyone!!!1

billy, Caerdydd , Wales

Well... the headline that 'Britain Reels' is utter nonsense. It was a bit rainy in Edinburgh, but no-one is reeling.

Nelson, Edinburgh, UK

High winds and storms just before the vernal equinox, coinciding with high spring tides at this time of year is NEWS to people?? So much for people remembering how the planet works...this would have been common knowledge 100 years ago.

Peter, London,

Heathrow buffetted by a 42mph wind ????? Strange how the high winds in the North barely make the news yet a strong breeze in the South becomes a major news story . Miserable Monday for the soft southerners because it's a bit windy , it's just as well there weren't any snowflakes as that would have meant a National State of Emergency .

Alan Gilmour, Edinburgh,

it's 20 degrees and sunny here in greece. you're right, i feel better.

mazzer, veria, greece

Bit of rain, bit of wind. I found it quite exciting driving along Brighton seafront early this morning. I'd hate to live somewhere without proper seasons, there's something incredibly passionate and real about walking in a gale with rain beating down on you. And then so nice to get back inside with a warm bath and a nice glass of wine!

People whinge too much :)

Ben

Ben Robinson, Brighton,

You can't teach common sense to people who think they Know best. And then there is the glamour of appearing in a Press Association photograph that goes round the world.

It is, sadly, the Darwin principle, survival of the informed, death and danger to those who refuse to acknowledge wisdom.

Alan, March, UK

Extremely strong winds are a characteristic of Fenland. The South Westerlies blow themselves out on the way to the Wash. Then the Baltic cold winds blow down through the Wash gap. There is also the Fen Blow, the brownish pall to the light winds.

This Monday the storm hit Whittlesey about 4am with heavy rain. By 10 am the strong wind remains, as do the puddles. Not a bad place to live if you know the history of the Fens, pumping stations and the exceptional geography.

JANE FLEMING, Whittlesey, CAMBRIDGESHIRE

And when one tried to check the situation on the National Rail website before leaving the house, it redirected people enquiring about weather-related disruption to another page which refused to load. Another example of incompetence.

John Scott, London,

Are there any storm conditions these fools won't go to sea in?

Why should the RNLI have to risk there lives because captains sail regardless of weather forecasts? It was just a few weeks ago when the Irish passenger ferry grounded, that set sail regardless of conditions as well!

Is there a pattern building up here? Why wait for a tragedy to occur before something's done about it. Who's responsible? Come on the Guardian, time for some investigative journalism!

Ian, Sandhurst, Berkshire