As the south coast recovers from the tornadoes and torrential rain that battered the country all weekend, news that more of the same can be excepted towards the end of this week will not make good reading for Dorset residents.

Winds at 100mph were recorded on the Isle of Wight on Saturday, with driving rain, 60ft waves and lightning strikes hitting the South.

According to the Met Office, Thursday and Friday are likely to be very wet and windy again, with three inches of rain set to fall in some places and winds of up to 60mph expected.

BBC Dorset’s weather report for Thursday and Friday makes gloomy reading, with heavy rain predicted both days, but the stormy weather isn’t expected to be as bad as last weekend.

Over the weekend Christchurch Quay flooded completely and the Environment Agency closed floodgates in Christchurch as well as Lymington. Ferries to France from Poole were all cancelled due to the high winds.

Several people, including a pregnant woman, had to be rescued from a car after it was swamped by floodwater in Whitchurch Canonicorum near Bridport.

It wasn’t just Dorset that was badly affected by the extreme weather.

The fireworks finale to the Lord Mayor’s Parade in London was called off for the first time in 20 years and ferry services from Plymouth were also cancelled.

Rail services across the country were disrupted by rockslides which covered the tracks in mud and stones.

The Environment Agency received nearly 5,000 calls to its helpline on Sunday alone.

WORST EVER STORMS

November 26, 1703 – A catastrophic 80-mph hurricane ripped across East Anglia, decimating villages from Northamptonshire to Suffolk and killing between 8,000 and 15,000 people. It is now known as the worst storm in British history.

October 14, 1881 – A huge storm struck Berwickshire in south east Scotland, wiping out almost the entire fishing fleet. Nearly 200 fishermen were drowned in what residents still call “Black Friday”.

August 16, 1952 – A torrential thunderstorm devastated the village of Lynmouth in north Devon, killing 34 people. Nine inches of rain fell within 24 hours on already waterlogged ground, causing the river to break its banks and destroy 100 buildings, 29 bridges and 38 cars.

January 31 and February 1, 1953 – Hurricane-force winds combined with high spring tides caused a disastrous storm surge along the east coast. More than 300 people died, nearly 24,000 homes were damaged, 72,845 hectares flooded and thousands of trees were blown down in Scotland.

October 15 and 16, 1987 – The “Great Storm” killed 18 people when a ferocious 115-mph wind tore across the country leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. Around 15 million trees were uprooted, cars were destroyed, roofs torn off buildings, and a pier on the Isle of Wight was ripped to pieces. More than £1.5 billion worth of damage was caused across Cornwall, Devon, the Midlands, Essex and Kent.

Late October 2000 – During the UK’s wettest autumn for 200 years, the storms caused five major rivers to reach record flood levels, leading to an estimated £1 billion worth of damage across the country. Gusts of 93mph left 60,000 homes in the East Midlands without power.

August 16, 2004 – A storm in Boscastle, Cornwall, caused a devastating flash flood which saw 20 million tonnes of water flow through the village, destroying homes, washing away cars and uprooting trees. About 150 people were airlifted to safety from rooftops, but thankfully, there were no deaths.