Where did the Great Storm of 1987 make landfall at, first?

The story behind the answer

Cornwall is correct because the Great Storm of 1987 arrived from the Atlantic via the Bay of Biscay and struck the UK at its southwestern edge first, in the early hours of 16 October. From Cornwall it swept east across southern England, which is why places like Surrey felt its peak later, while the Midlands were largely spared.

Context: Despite the famous “not a hurricane” remark by BBC weatherman Michael Fish, it was an exceptionally intense extratropical cyclone, toppling millions of trees and causing widespread damage. To remember this, think: Atlantic storms hit the UK from the southwest—Cornwall is the front door—so it takes the first impact.