The storm yesterday was a rare example of a weather “bomb”, a tempest that explodes into life at a ferocious rate. The same phenomenon drove the notorious storm of October 1987 that caught forecasters unawares, although this time the storm was well predicted.

The engine that drives these storms is the jet stream. This river of wind blows around the world a few miles high, speeding up and slowing down as it heads eastwards. On Sunday a surge in the jet stream burst across the North Atlantic at speeds over 200mph, a kick known as a “jet streak”.

Those winds helped to draw up air from the core of a depression in the Atlantic and as the air shot upwards it pulled in winds rushing faster over the sea into the centre of the storm.

It was rather like winds blowing over a chimneypot, sucking air up the chimney from the fireplace and room below.

By yesterday morning the storm was blasting towards the west coast of Ireland with central pressure dropping to 946 millibars, something that might be expected in a small hurricane.

As the storm’s pressure deepened, the winds wrapped around it were driven into a frenzy, reaching over 80mph in exposed sites on the coast. The worst of the winds were concentrated around the southern flank of the storm, which meant that South Wales and the South West were battered hardest.

The jet stream was travelling so fast yesterday that transatlantic flights arrived in Britain up to an hour early. However, pilots of flights to the US and Canada, had to battle severe headwinds. Eastern Canada and America have also been lashed by savage storms, resulting in heavy snowfall in Ottawa, Toronto and Quebec.

The stormy weather is not over yet, however. The Met Office has given warning of a further intense gale overnight and into Wednesday morning. The track of this storm will be further north, lashing Northern Ireland, North Wales, northern England and the Midlands.

Although this storm will not be as explosive as yesterday’s, it could bring wider disruption because the steep gradient of pressure on its southern flank will produce winds of 50mph to 60mph over a larger land area. The rest of the week is expected to be largely unsettled, and long-range forecasts suggest some very cold weather over Easter, later this month.

Some good came of the storm, however. The rains have helped to replenish groundwater and reservoir supplies after a dry February, soaking soils before seeds are sown in the spring. And while most of Britain was drenched, the Highlands were covered with snow, further enhancing one of the best ski seasons for years.