As Florida braces itself for Hurricane Dennis the west of England is getting ready to face its own meteorological onslaught as Bit Windy Cecil threatens to strike. Bit Windy Cecil is closely related to Breezy Betty which hit the same part of the Cumbrian coast in the spring - Cecil’s older sister it seems. This left behind a trail of victims including Judy Moody from Whitehaven who had just had her hair done.

A forecast to send fear through any Cumbrian*

Judy hasn’t spoken about that fateful day until now. But she says it’s time she faced her past if only in an attempt to help victims of the future. ‘I had just left ‘Hair’o'Bics’ salon. It had cost me 30 quid for a Blow Dry and Set. I saw a man up the street as he chased frantically after what looked like some kind of small, ugly animal. A rat, I thought. Then as it drew closer I realised that it was a toupee and that the wind had blown it straight of his baldy head. It was too late to avoid, my fate was sealed. It buggered up my hairdo right and proper… I.. I don’t like to talk about it.’

Councillor Holden Grey of Carlisle says that there are many similar stories from that seemingly pleasant spring day when the wind got up. And by all predictions it seems Bit Windy Cecil could be even more devastating. People are being advised to leave umbrellas at home. ‘I’ve seen it too many times before. People think they have a strong brolly. It cost them twenty quid. “Oh, my brolly can cope with a bit of wind,” they say. But who has to clear them up after they’ve been blown inside out. Muggins here.’ (Apparently there’s a staff shortage in the Carlisle City Council.)

On a final note there’s a word of warning from the Met Office regarding the future. ‘From what we can ascertain Betty and Cecil come from a large family of winds, so we could be seeing more gusts hitting the Cumbrian coastline in the future. All we can advise is for people to use a lot of hairspray.’

*Anyone wondering about the weather map click here