Typhoon ‘Herbert’ somehow fails to capture the majesty of the most dramatic weather

This European heatwave reminds me of my time in Asia, tracking the destructive winds that sent us scurrying to prepare

We’ve had a lot of weather this week, which always reminds me of my dad, 99 this year, although currently snuggled up in an urn on the mantelpiece.

We loved weather. In another life I’d have been a meteorologist as from a tender age I was discussing cold fronts and the Beaufort wind force scale with ease. Working in Hong Kong in my early twenties was a gift because I discovered typhoons and a whole new vocabulary.

I was transfixed by this destructive wind that formed over the Pacific Ocean and then slammed into the coast of southern China, taking in the Philippines along the way. We would follow its shattering progress with trepidation, fixing boards to windows, tying down cars.