FIVE years ago, Valentine’s Day was marked by fierce storms that brought down trees, wrecked beach huts and forced some homes to be evacuated.
Bournemouth and Avon Beach were among the places where beach huts were wrecked, while 102 were either damaged or destroyed at Hordle Cliff.
Winds of up to 100mph battered the area.
At the Marine Cafe in Milford-on-Sea, more than 30 people had to be rescued in a joint operation by firefighters, soldiers and the coastguard. Rocks crashed through the windows and a tidal surge flooded the ground floor.
New Forest District Council distributed 10,000 sandbags and opened a rest centre for people forced to flee their homes and other storm-hit buildings.
In Poole, Shore Road at Sandbanks was under 4ft of water.
To view all the pictures from the Valentine's Day storm see our gallery
By contrast, the forecast for Valentine’s Day this year is for sun, with temperatures of up to 11C and a gentle breeze.
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