cornwall

[kingbillyboy]

havent those poor peole suferred enough? prayers and thoughts with them tonight.

[TH63]

Jeez, just watching the news, horrendous. Did a river burst its banks or something?

[jamieccfc]

Hard to believe after the weather we've had today

[IanD]

Hard to believe after the weather we've had today

Just seen the news from Coverack.....sat here having a morning cuppa out of a mug bought from the shop on the sea front. Can't believe the volume of water coming down the hill into the sea. When we were there a few weeks ago, I was more concerned with flooding from the sea. Locals came over as friendly and welcoming. Thankfully no one has been killed or injured. Boscastle all over again.

[bobh]

Jeez, just watching the news, horrendous. Did a river burst its banks or something?

On the news they said the area had about a month's worth of rain in 3 hours.

[bobh]

With all these flash floods happening all over the country in the last few years, and it looks like it will continue,
is it time the powers that be took some bold action and build flood defences like they have in the USA?
(you know, those big channels that kids use to have car races in , like in "Grease")

[bluethrough]

With all these flash floods happening all over the country in the last few years, and it looks like it will continue,
is it time the powers that be took some bold action and build flood defences like they have in the USA?
(you know, those big channels that kids use to have car races in , like in "Grease")

Would help if we stopped building on flood plains first though

[life on mars]

Hope they mop it up quickly City gotta game to play

[bobh]

Would help if we stopped building on flood plains first though

True, but maybe they could build on flood plains if they were made to build in a flood channel at the same time.

[IanD]

With all these flash floods happening all over the country in the last few years, and it looks like it will continue,
is it time the powers that be took some bold action and build flood defences like they have in the USA?
(you know, those big channels that kids use to have car races in , like in "Grease")

Diversionary spillways rely on water having reached a river in the first place in order to take run off away from (or maybe through) urban areas. Small catchment areas, high river density, v shaped valleys, urbanisation/Archimedes effect, stalled weather systems, saturated ground, poor agricultural practice, blocked culverts, increased impermeable surfaces all conspire to make it impossible to prevent flooding in places like Boscastle, Polperro and Coverack. I was suprised Mousehole didn't get a pasting as the geography of that village is similar to Coverack. We are a small island with little opportunity for hard engineered spillways. Green roofs are the way forward!

[Sgt. Pepper]

Diversionary spillways rely on water having reached a river in the first place in order to take run off away from (or maybe through) urban areas. Small catchment areas, high river density, v shaped valleys, urbanisation/Archimedes effect, stalled weather systems, saturated ground, poor agricultural practice, blocked culverts, increased impermeable surfaces all conspire to make it impossible to prevent flooding in places like Boscastle, Polperro and Coverack. I was suprised Mousehole didn't get a pasting as the geography of that village is similar to Coverack. We are a small island with little opportunity for hard engineered spillways. Green roofs are the way forward!

Interesting summary.

Do you think that our weather is changing, or becoming more extreme in some respects?
Or not?

Perhaps we have always had these events. Sometimes here, sometimes there.

[Colonel Cærdiffi]

With all these flash floods happening all over the country in the last few years, and it looks like it will continue,
is it time the powers that be took some bold action and build flood defences like they have in the USA?
(you know, those big channels that kids use to have car races in , like in "Grease")

The Terminator chasing John Connor on a motorcycle with a shotgun would have been a cooler reference.

[IanD]

Interesting summary.

Do you think that our weather is changing, or becoming more extreme in some respects?
Or not?

Perhaps we have always had these events. Sometimes here, sometimes there.

Probably a combination of both. Severe rainfall events are arguably becoming more frequent. More heat in the atmosphere and oceans results in more evaporation=more condensation/cloud=more rainfall. Some argue global dulling is taking place. That combined with more buildings/more impermeable surfaces=greater storm run off and less space for the runoff causes greater depth of flooding. Therefore the likelihood of more Boscastle-type events increases and not just in UK. Essen down to Cologne took a pasting today. Let's hope it's dry on August 5th.

[Sgt. Pepper]

Probably a combination of both. Severe rainfall events are arguably becoming more frequent. More heat in the atmosphere and oceans results in more evaporation=more condensation/cloud=more rainfall. Some argue global dulling is taking place. That combined with more buildings/more impermeable surfaces=greater storm run off and less space for the runoff causes greater depth of flooding. Therefore the likelihood of more Boscastle-type events increases and not just in UK. Essen down to Cologne took a pasting today. Let's hope it's dry on August 5th.

That all very much fits with my own layman view/feeling , though I'd never heard the term 'global dulling' .

The sun will shine upon the righteous on the 5th ;) .

[IanD]

That all very much fits with my own layman view/feeling , though I'd never heard the term 'global dulling' .

The sun will shine upon the righteous on the 5th ;) .

Take yer brolly:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-40683302
Pity they didn't consider surface flooding in their models. Probably too complicated for a super computer.