To our flooded friends in the UK

[grebeman]

Latest observations from Mount Batten record sustained wind speeds of 60 mph with the strongest gust measured at 77 mph. The village of Kingsand on the western shore of Plymouth Sound is taking a pounding with waves going over the top of two story houses adjacent to the shoreline, although now it's dark it's difficult to assess the damage being done. The iconic village institute is propped up by scaffolding but in the last few minutes noises have been heard that suggest some of that might have given way. Once again the worst of the wind has coincided with high tide.

A scientific buoy in the western approaches to the English Channel is recording wave heights of 45 feet trough to crest.

Barrie

 

[pdh]

a few years ago, I was out at Pendeen Watch in a force 7 or 8, watching what I estimated as 30-35 footers coming in; the cliffs there are about 200ft, but even watching from that distance above the sea was pretty terrifying.

45 foot simply doesn't bear thinking about.

 

[grebeman]

Yes, some of the scenes at Sennen in the last few weeks have been very dramatic.

Barrie

 

[hannahntilly]

I live on top of the North Downs in East Surrey (UK). Our house is about 200m above sea level on chalk and the highest point for miles around yet our garden is full of water. Roads in the valleys nearby are badly affected. My current concern isn't the water but the high winds - we're very exposed. Roll on spring................

 

[pdh]

Yes, some of the scenes at Sennen in the last few weeks have been very dramatic.

have you got links for any of those Barrie?

When got back from Pendeen that day, I was talking about the storm to a friend who has lived in West Penwith for nearly 60 years, and he said that he had actually seen waves breaking over the top of the cliffs at Sennen in his time. One might take that with a smidgeon of NaCl of course, but even so, I've no doubt that he was talking abut 60foot+

 

[grebeman]

Paul, I'll have a look, I haven't seen those videos on any sites today. I'd agree with your friend, the waves were breaking over the cliffs to the south west of Sennen past the lifeboat station. That was a different wind direction than todays storm, west or even north west, today Sennen should be relatively sheltered compared to the likes of Porthleven, Penzance and Newlyn.

Barrie

 

[Richard]

We are close to being flooded. There's water surrounding the house up to airbrick level, and it's under the floorboards in some parts. Sandbags at the doors, valuables carried upstairs and all the larger pieces of furniture downstairs lifted up on bricks. Toilets out of bounds.

This is not river water, it's surface water which has accumulated locally. The ground between here and the river is saturated, so the water can't drain away.

-R

 

[Darren Bonner]

At this moment in Poole Dorset we've got very high winds and we've most off have at least a months worth of rain today and it still raining heavily as I type. I've lived in my current place for nearly eight years and it is the first time I've heard my windows (double glazed) rattling due to the wind. I live on top of a hill, but our back garden has become one giant puddle as the ground is sodden due to all the rain we have had since Christmas. The storm is suppose to peak at midnight and carrying on tomorrow. I do feel sorry for those who have been really affected as you're kind of helpless in these situations.

 

[BillN]

I watch the BBC news two or three times a day - it is really terrible what is happening in the UK

Good luck to all you guys in the UK who are suffering - I just have never seen anything like it

Also the US is getting it's fair share of aggro from "mother nature" so all the best to you guys in "The Colonies"

Australia had terrible fires last year - Indonesia is suffering and that is apparently where the jet stream problems seems to have started because of a warmer than usual ocean for the time of year - started around that area, moved the jet stream off it's usual track, hit California, where is has been incredible dry - across to Georgia where they have had snow storms, up the coast to New York, heavy snow again, then raced across the Atlantic to hit Europe and the UK, storm after storm after storm………. where is it going next?

Good luck to everyone affected

 

[grebeman]

Paul, I've found this link to a video www.westbriton.co.uk/VIDEO-Wave-catapulted-200ft-air-Sennen-Cove/story-20566298-detail/story.html However I keep getting an error message when I try and play the video, you might have better luck. The still shows a wave hitting the shore and being carried to a claimed 200 feet in the air!

Winds still gusting to 77 mph in Plymouth (22:00 hours), although sustained windspeeds have dropped by a few mph, although still above 50 mph. Penzance railway station apparently has water in up to platform height. Not a single train running in Devon or Cornwall west of Exeter.

Update. The temporary breakwater set up to protect the damaged railway line at Dawlish consisting of a line of shipping containers welded together and filled with stones has been breached and residents in the area evacuated.

Barrie

 

[pdh]

Thanks Barrie. I'll have to look at link tomorrow now as I've run out of bandwidth.

For pz station to be flooded is quite amazing. It is only a matter of a couple of hundred metres from the sea, but also several metres above too. MaraZion marshes must be inundated as must newlyn.

 

[grebeman]

From what I've seen breaking waves have been carried over the platforms and the water is now probably trapped and unable to drain away.

 

[grebeman]

We are close to being flooded. There's water surrounding the house up to airbrick level, and it's under the floorboards in some parts. Sandbags at the doors, valuables carried upstairs and all the larger pieces of furniture downstairs lifted up on bricks. Toilets out of bounds.

This is not river water, it's surface water which has accumulated locally. The ground between here and the river is saturated, so the water can't drain away.

-R

Richard, this is the sort of post I've been dreading to see. There is little that can be said except to say I'm sure everyone wishes you the best and hopes like you that the situation for you doesn't get any worse.

Barrie

 

[BBW]

Richard, I'm with Barrie and, no doubt, everyone else who is reading this thread. I wish there were more that we could do for you - but please promise to keep us posted as we hope for a break in the weather for you.

 

[nippa]

My thoughts are with all those affected.

Here weve been incredibly lucky in avoiding both excessive rain or wind although water levels in our Lake are higher than I've seen in my 24 years in Cheshire.

I hope that Government promises of help and future protective measure live up to the billing.
Take care.

 

[Isoterica]

So sorry you are all being pounded by the weather. I think it's a bit wonky everywhere, in the states it's snow and more snow, even in areas that don't normally get snow. Stay safe all!

 

[Richard]

The weather has improved here today, in that it's no longer raining and the sun is out.

Unfortunately the water is still seeping in from the surrounding area following yesterday's rain, so our levels are at their highest yet, but holding steady I think.

So it's another day of bailing out and anxiously watching the weather forecast.

-R

Update 18 Feb:

About three hours after I posted this, we managed to get a fire and rescue vehicle to our street. That was Saturday, now it's Tuesday and we have had crews here continuously in that period, pumping the water away from the house. Buckinghamshire has 20 fire stations, and we have now had crews here from 9 of them. Apart from maintaining a constant supply of tea and biscuits for the crews, things are now much improved for us.