Storm Eunice struck Cornwall in the early hours of 18 February 2022, and reports suggested St Ives would be one of the worst-hit areas of West Cornwall.

I arrived around 7:30am, by which time the wind had shifted offshore, so the waves weren’t crashing against the harbour walls as I had hoped. The sea was still rough, but the direction of the wind meant the energy was being pushed further out into the bay rather than into the harbour itself.

I spent a couple of hours filming around St Ives, including shots from St Nicholas Chapel, where the wind was intense, easily the strongest I’ve experienced in the UK, and I nearly got blown over a few times. The sound of the wind alone made it clear how powerful Storm Eunice really was.

Afterwards, I drove to Porthleven, only to encounter a large tree fallen across the road just before arriving, which you can see at the end of the video. By then, the tide was on the way out, so conditions weren’t perfect, but there was still plenty of movement in the sea and some dramatic moments around the harbour.

In hindsight, starting at Porthleven might have been better, but overall it was a memorable day on the coast. Storm Eunice was one of the most powerful systems to reach Cornwall in recent years, and even if the conditions didn’t align perfectly, it still offered a fascinating look at the force of nature along this part of the coast.