12.45: According to BBC data, it appears that we, as a city, have weathered the storm. Wow guys, that was intense.
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12.35: Reports of serious road damage on Museum Road appear to have been confirmed via this photo.
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12.12: Some debris was spotted on Queen’s Lane by former Queen’s JCR Pres Jane Cahill…
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11.05: Here are a selection of tweets from through the night, whilst I was sleeping like a baby.
Port gone, wine gone, dominoes en route, beer on the table and the #cherwellgreatstorm is warming up – Corpus JCR lock-in fully underway
— Aled Jones (@AledR) October 28, 2013
IT’S HAPPENING #cherwellgreatstorm
— Joseph Miles (@JoeMiles94) October 28, 2013
Barely raining and it’s not even 3am. What gives Jude? #cherwellgreatstorm
— Sam Volpe (@samuelevolpe) October 28, 2013
Well it appears to be… erm… pretty sunny. #cherwellgreatstorm
— OxfordMusician (@OxfordMusician) October 28, 2013
Seems like the #cherwellgreatstorm is exactly what it claims to be. Nothing but a media storm.
— Richard Harris (@RushTheRhubarb) October 28, 2013
Though (emotionally) battered & bruised, have emerged from the #cherwellgreatstorm alive & ready for the treacherous migration to the LawBod
— Verity (@HarveyTheGPig) October 28, 2013
So was the #cherwellgreatstorm just a media storm? You can join the discussion, using the #cherwellgreatstorm hashtag.
10.59: And if you thought we were completely home and dry, here’s the situation on St Gile’s this morning. Still some rain and wind!!!
10.57: It’s the morning after the night before. The calm after the storm. The moment where we get to sit back and reflect on what was, or what could have been…
Here’s a Vine from about 11.45 last night on St Aldate’s.
As you can see, there was some rain.
8.13: Oxford got its heaviest rain at 6am this morning, but only from a passing rather than a lingering cloud.
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8.02: Oxford seems to have escaped the worst of the rain through the night. Two bands of heavy rain missed the city on either side, but maximum wind gusts still approached 61mph. Stay tuned for updates on any damage that we are made aware of. Those that were hoping that the roads to lectures would be impassable are likely to be disappointed however this morning.
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1.13: On that note, we’re signing off for the night.
We’ll be back tomorrow morning with a selection of your ‘through the night’ tweets (remember to keep using #cherwellgreatstorm), as well as assessing and analysing the damage across Oxford.
Get you cameras snapping tonight and tomorrow, as all the best photos will be featured, right here on the Great Storm Live Blog!
1.09: As most Oxonians head for bed, here are a few last thoughts from the #cherwellgreatstorm Twitter party.
The mutant puddles of the #cherwellgreatstorm did this to me… Shit got real. pic.twitter.com/dfyMLr4lla
— Sam Volpe (@samuelevolpe) October 28, 2013
preparing for large leak in living room to turn into unique water feature when #cherwellgreatstorm hits
— Sadie Levy Gale (@SadieLevyGale) October 28, 2013
Nice and snug in Regent’s Ark. #cherwellgreatstorm #wheresNoah
— Rebecca Roughan (@RebeccaRoughan) October 28, 2013
is it just me or is there no wind at all? #ominous #eerie #cherwellgreatstorm
— Ceri (@mynameisceri_) October 28, 2013
00.43: Latest from the Met Office. Some of the rain looks suspiciously like it is being sprayed from a giant sprinker in north-west London (actually coincides with location of their radar tower). Oxford marked by the pin.
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23.59: Cherwell Storm HQ has relocated, which means we have some tweets to catch up on.
I thought The Deluge had begun. It was actually just the guy upstairs flushing the toilet… #cherwellgreatstorm
— OxfordMusician (@OxfordMusician) October 27, 2013
The #cherwellgreatstorm is so disappointing. I feel like I stocked up on jaffa cakes for nothing.
— Hannah Searson (@hannahsearson) October 27, 2013
So very bold of @Cherwell_Online to name the storm the #cherwellgreatstorm. Ownership is risky; brand image at stake.
— Ben Goldstein (@bgolds12) October 27, 2013
23.15: The clock ticks ever closer to bedtime. Here are some more tweets that you’ve sent our way…
Storm gear #stjudestorm #cherwellgreatstorm pic.twitter.com/wdbMhXOKTS
— Christopher Adams (@chrisedadams) October 27, 2013
Does #stormageddon #cherwellgreatstorm constitute a ‘twitter storm’?
— Joe Ottaway (@JoeOttaway) October 27, 2013
#cherwellgreatstorm will hopefully not affect the tree perilously close to my window…
— Delia Lockey (@DeliaLockey) October 27, 2013
23.07: Eleven hours into the live blog and rain is now falling quite nicely on St Aldate’s. Is this the start of the #cherwellgreatstorm?
22.50: On a more serious note- foul weather is much more fun if you have a nice college room to sleep in, which, unfortunately, is not the case for a lot of people in Oxford.
@Cherwell_Online thanks if people make a report via http://t.co/woTM9FYs3b and alert is sent to local services
— Street_Link (@Tell_StreetLink) October 27, 2013
22.35: Been a while since we posted a map. Here’s a new one which has the wind in the form of arrows of varying colours.
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22.23: Here’s a poem-
Waiting for the Storm
I sit alone, with no-one to hold,
Is that the wind I hear, or the computer’s fan?
My hashtagging becomes increasingly bold,
It makes me feel like more of a man
The sky is pitch black, like the night,
Which is because it’s almost eleven,
I hope to God we’re not in for a fright,
Will the storm be like hell or like heaven?
My enthusiasm is starting to wane,
I wonder what there’s left to say,
Where the fuck is all the fucking rain?
I’ve got to start writing my essay.
22.20: After the news that St Anne’s JCR pizza was delayed by 30 mins, we are hearing some shocking news out of Magdalen…
#cherwellgreatstorm causing major disruptions as pizza fails to materialise at @MagdalenJCR JCR General Meeting
— Max Long (@maxlxng) October 27, 2013
Unfortunately this could scupper my own dinner plans, leaving me stranded at Cherwell Storm HQ with nothing to chew on except empty coffee cups and broken dreams.
22.10: A new hour has begun and our dedicated Twitter family are sticking with our coverage despite the coquettish nature of the #cherwellgreatstorm. Here are some of your tweets.
Lighting candles for the end of days. #cherwellgreatstorm pic.twitter.com/MARnUigrV5
— Harriet Smith Hughes (@hashughes) October 27, 2013
@Caiwilsh @RosieMaryT We buy our pizza from ‘Fat Boyz’. Always on time, 18″ deals and so so good! Despite the #cherwellgreatstorm
— Brasenose JCR (@bncjcr) October 27, 2013
21.51: Here are some more tweets, from the drier climes of Twitter.
Planning an emergency run for the Cherwell Boathouse. At least I’ll be able to punt to the SSL tomorrow. #cherwellgreatstorm
— Matt Waller (@MattJWaller) October 27, 2013
The #cherwellgreatstorm hasn’t happened yet. The #cherwellnotsogreatstorm is imminent.
— Jane Cahill (@JanaCahill) October 27, 2013
“Winter is coming.” *stares meaningfully out of window and clutches hot water bottle to face* #cherwellgreatstorm
— Naomi Barker (@HobbitBarker) October 27, 2013
21.44: If you’re getting a kick out of these incomprehensible Met Office maps, here’s another one that looks like a trippy 8-bit nightmare.
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21.37: Latest simulations predict high water levels tomorrow morning until 11am
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21.24: We’ve been doing our best to find out which establishments will be open tonight. Here’s confirmation from the Turl Street Kitchen.
@Cherwell_Online we’re still here. Considering some sort of marketing along the lines of ‘You’ll be blown away by our food!’ Or the wind!’.
— Turl Street Kitchen (@turlstkitchen) October 27, 2013
21.14: The storm team have put together a previsualization of the disaster that #cherwellgreatstorm will leave in its wake…
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21.07: Some more tweets from the #cherwellgreatstorm community. Things are gonna go crazy when the rain actually starts.
Sainsbury’s have sold out of umbrellas, it’s getting real… #cherwellgreatstorm
— Ceri (@mynameisceri_) October 27, 2013
#caiscollectioncocktails weathering the #cherwellgreatstorm – cai is the best!
— ZChez (@SChez9) October 27, 2013
7am track session looking unlikely… #cherwellgreatstorm
— Heli Copley (@HeliCopley) October 27, 2013
21.01: Demand for our coverage was, temporarily, too great and our website crashed. We’re back up though!
Here’s a picture from the Cherwell Storm Observatory (next to the men’s toilets). The sky is very dark, though that might just be ‘night’.
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20.16: Still no sign of rain in Oxford, which may be causing some people to forget quite how serious this situation is. Here are a few tweets to jog your collective memories.
Tonight’s Old Testament reading centres on God and his abundant rains. One is reluctant to see this as portentous… #CherwellGreatStorm
— George Scott (@GRScott_Oxon) October 27, 2013
preparing for the #cherwellgreatstorm by thinking of all the waterproof shoes and non-broken umbrellas I don’t own
— E Bley Griffiths (@eleanor_bg) October 27, 2013
can I use the #cherwellgreatstorm as an excuse for the most terrible essay an oxford student has ever written?
— Emma (@EmmaCharlotte53) October 27, 2013
19.51: Amidst all the #cherwellgreatstorm coverage, a mini-saga is developing in the form of the OULC co-chair’s return from Newcastle to Oxford. We’ll keep you updated on her progress.
Co-chair @helenadollimore traversing the country in the #cherwellgreatstorm ,@aledr expecting a late night stranded phone call
— OULC (@OxUniLabour) October 27, 2013
Woke up & panicked grey outside coach windows meant we were in a #storm hurricane funnel. We were actually in a tunnel. #cherwellgreatstorm
— Helena Dollimore (@helenadollimore) October 27, 2013
There has been no news on the situation of the OUCA President.
19.44: The BBC has issued this incomprehensible map to help people prepare for the #cherwellgreatstorm. An analyst here at Storm HQ has declared it ‘worrying’.
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19.36: Oxford remains a bastion of ‘light rain’ in a sea of ‘heavy rain’ according to the latest weather map released by the Met Office.
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19.28: After a brief, pub based, hiatus, we’re back with coverage of the #cherwellgreatstorm. Here are some of the tweets you might have missed.
Fled the rains of Gloucestershire for Oxford, straight into the #cherwellgreatstorm. Should I be concerned @Cherwell_Online?
— Rachel Savage (@rachelmsavage) October 27, 2013
street lamp outside my window has been erratically turning on and off since 3. ominous. #cherwellgreatstorm
— Hattie Soper (@hattie_soper) October 27, 2013
BNC JCR has bought lots of 18″ pizzas to see us through the #cherwellgreatstorm and our Sunday JCR Meeting #keepcalmandcarryon
— Brasenose JCR (@bncjcr) October 27, 2013
Brasenose and Regent’s Park are the first JCRs to join the #cherwellgreatstorm discussion- will others join them? Check here to find out.
17.48: Darkness has fallen across Oxford, meaning that you may struggle to see the storm coming. Here are some of the most watchful #cherwellgreatstorm tweets.
I am panic-eating cheese. #cherwellgreatstorm
— General McCuddletson (@fluffapalooza) October 27, 2013
Apocalypse on its way. It’s got really dark, exactly an hour earlier than it should. #cherwellgreatstorm
— Matt Stokes (@stokes_matt) October 27, 2013
“Wind turbine blown over by wind” best news story of the day (so far)? http://t.co/KILhZcKw5i #cherwellgreatstorm
— Ceri (@mynameisceri_) October 27, 2013
17.41: The scene from inside the Cherwell Storm Centre, buried 40m under the Radcliffe Camera. We have backup power and food to last for 45 days, and blast doors that can withstand a direct hit from a 30Mt nuclear device. (Note: we are still too busy to change the clocks back)
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17.21: To assist with the storm resistance, we’ve put together this handy guide to foul weather gear.
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17.14: Another hour has passed and the slow approach of The Great Storm continues. Here are another few tweets to keep you jolly.
There is a distinct ‘calm before the #cherwellgreatstorm‘ thing going on around the ExCol library. Feels a bit like a pre-iceberg Titanic.
— Sam Volpe (@samuelevolpe) October 27, 2013
Panic-buying followed by panic-eating descends on St Anne’s Welfare Tea as #cherwellgreatstorm approaches…mini-rolls have officially run out
— Cai Gwyn Wilshaw (@Caiwilsh) October 27, 2013
How has @Cherwell_Online managed to get branding rights for the weather? Bad luck @TheOxStu #cherwellgreatstorm
— Angus Hawkins (@AngusFHawkins) October 27, 2013
16.50: First photo of storm damage sent to us by Balliol’s Sam Bumby.
The wind ripped our back gate off the wall @Cherwell_Online #cherwellgreatstorm pic.twitter.com/2tWaBSnHZq
— Sam Bumby (@sBumby) October 27, 2013
16.42: Here are another selection of #cherwellgreatstorm tweets, which are a ray of light in these dark, dark times.
Thinking about it, if the flooding surrounds Oxford with water we could declare independence as an island nation #cherwellgreatstorm
— Nathan Akehurst (@nathanakehurst) October 27, 2013
Arne Jacobsen’s bunker-esque design may finally prove to be an asset for Catz over the next 24 hrs #cherwellgreatstorm
— Sigismondo Malatesta (@Wolf_of_Rimini) October 27, 2013
Can confirm that Emmanuelle, the college tortoise, has been locked inside to protect her from the #cherwellgreatstorm
— Regent’sParkCollege (@regentsoxford) October 27, 2013
16.33: Ominous looking grey skies over the Rad Cam…
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16:08: Here’s another selection of #cherwellgreatstorm tweets, followed by a really great video that I saw posted on Facebook.
In Sunderland we call this t-shirt and shorts weather #cherwellgreatstorm
— Tim Ellis (@TimHEllis) October 27, 2013
@tomrutland shouldn’t our @ousunews president be staying put in Oxford to see out the storm with his constituents? #cherwellgreatstorm
— Helena Dollimore (@helenadollimore) October 27, 2013
Hoping #stormageddon hits the flat of whoever in this block is practising their guitar. #cherwellgreatstorm
— Natasha Frost (@natashamfrost) October 27, 2013
15.59: Nathan Akehurst has taken to Facebook to lament the lack of preparations for flooding, as well as proposing the ‘draining’ of Cherwell. Not sure how that would work, on a practical level.
‘Walking the streets of Oxford I see no flood defences, no stacks of dinghies in porters’ lodges, no posters pasted to the walls ordering us to stay in and stay vigilant, and no emergency stores of food despite the fact that stockpiling has begun – as evidenced by Tesco having run out of barbecue-style Pot Noodles even at this early stage.
Our common rooms and OUSU have failed us once again. Join me in demanding the immediate draining of the Thames and Cherwell (newspaper and river) to prevent flooding (and piss off rowers.)’
Join the call for dinghies on Twitter, using #cherwellgreatstorm
15.15: The #cherwellgreatstorm hashtag has exploded on Twitter. Here are a few of the recent tweets using it.
BREAKING NEWS: Hat blown off man’s head on Broad Street, Oxford by incoming storm #cherwellgreatstorm
— Jack J Matthews (@jackjmatthews) October 27, 2013
Ripples are growing on the moat at Catz #cherwellgreatstorm
— Liam Saddington (@Saddy_94) October 27, 2013
Being on the X5 is already grim enough without the thought of returning to an impending fucking hurricane #cherwellgreatstorm
— Matt Handley (@matthandley92) October 27, 2013
14.58: We’ve had word from OUSU’s top dog Tom Rutland, who is fleeing the city in an action reminiscent of the scene in Titanic where Rose’s finacee jumps on the lifeboats ahead of the women and children.
@Cherwell_Online I’m on the Oxford Tube to London, fleeing my house that’s in a flood risk zone… #cherwellgreatstorm
— Tom Rutland (@tomrutland) October 27, 2013
14.22: Confirmation that Cai’s Collection Cocktails at House bar are still going ahead:
Full steam ahead for Cai’s Collection Cocktails III despite #cherwellgreatstorm warnings…first 100 drinks bought get next one free!!
— Cai Gwyn Wilshaw (@Caiwilsh) October 27, 2013
14.15: Former Oxford Student editor James Rothwell has got in touch to discuss his preparations.
@Cherwell_Online I’ve panic-bought three multipacks of Wheat Crunchies and a bottle of gin to see me through if shit gets serious
— James Rothwell (@JamesERothwell) October 27, 2013
13.40: The decision to name the storm ‘St Jude’ is currently coming under scrutiny across the university.
St Jude is the patron saint of ‘lost causes’ and therefore seems to only add to the sense of doom surrounding the impending Great Storm.
Have your say on this issue, using #cherwellgreatstorm
13.15: Rain has begun to fall across Oxford, although we can confirm that the Gladstone Link is still dry. Librarians seem, at this point, unwilling to discuss the possibility of keeping it open overnight as a hurricane shelter.
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13.02: The skies have darkened
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12.19: David Cameron has tweeted: ‘I’ve just chaired a call with various Govt depts & agencies to hear about all the plans to ensure people are protected from tonight’s storm.’
Unfortunately, he did not use the #cherwellgreatstorm which makes it a small miracle that we managed to pick it up.
12.13: First signs of storm damage at the Oxford Union. President Wacharasindhu seems largely unconcerned, although there is a fear it may interrupt travel plans.
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Preamble: Welcome to live coverage of The Great Storm which will be rolling across the UK overnight Sunday.
We will be bringing you all the latest updates, opinions and analysis, along with exclusive photo and video content. If you want to get in touch with us, you can tweet @Cherwell_Online, use the hashtag #cherwellgreatstorm or email us at [email protected].
The most important thing though? Stay safe and hydrated.
