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The Lynmouth & Boscastle Disasters


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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
On 15th and 16th August 1952, a storm of tropical intensity broke over south-west England, depositing 229 millimetres (9.0 in) of rain within 24 hours on an already waterlogged Exmoor. It is thought that a cold front scooped up a thunderstorm, and the orographic effect worsened the storm. Debris-laden floodwaters cascaded down the northern escarpment of the moor, converging upon the village of Lynmouth; in particular, in the upper West Lyn valley, a dam was formed by fallen trees, etc., which in due course gave way, sending a huge wave of water and debris down that river. A guest at the Lyndale Hotel described the night:

"From seven o'clock last night the waters rose rapidly and at nine o'clock it was just like an avalanche coming through our hotel, bringing down boulders from the hills and breaking down walls, doors and windows. Within half an hour the guests had evacuated the ground floor. In another ten minutes the second floor was covered, and then we made for the top floor where we spent the night." The river Lyn through the town had been culverted to gain land for business premises; this culvert soon choked with flood debris, and the river flowed through the town. Much of the debris was boulders and trees.Overnight, over 100 buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged along with 28 of the 31 bridges, and 38 cars were washed out to sea. In total, 34 people died, with a further 420 made homeless.

At the same time, the River Bray at Filleigh also flooded, costing the lives of three Scouts from Manchester who had been camping alongside the river.

Similar events had been recorded at Lynmouth in 1607 and 1796. After the 1952 disaster, the village was rebuilt, including diverting the river around the village. In 2001, a BBC Radio 4 documentary suggested that the events of 1952 were connected to government operation Project Cumulus involving cloud seeding experiments being conducted in southern England at the time. There does not presently seem to be any direct evidence to support such allegations, but conspiracy theories have been fuelled by rumours of missing or destroyed government documents relating to the experiments.

On 16 August 2004 - exactly 52 years later, a similar event happened in Cornwall, when flash floods caused extensive damage to Boscastle, but without loss of life. The hydrological setting of these two villages is very much the same.

en.wikipedia.org

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The Boscastle flood of 2004 occurred on Monday, 16 August 2004 in the two villages of Boscastle and Crackington Haven in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The villages suffered extensive damage after flash floods caused by an exceptional amount of rain that fell over the course of eight hours that afternoon. The flood in Boscastle was filmed and extensively reported but that in Crackington Haven was not mentioned beyond the local news. The Boscastle flooding was caused by rainfall which the river could not hold. The floods were the worst in local memory. A study commissioned by the Environment Agency from hydraulics consulting firm HR Wallingford concluded that it was among the most extreme ever experienced in Britain. The peak flow was about 140m³/s (tonnes), between 5:00pm and 6:00pm BST. The annual chance of this (or a greater) flood in any one year is about 1 in 400. The probability each year of the heaviest three-hour rainfall is about 1 in 1300 (although rainfall probability is not the same as flood probability).

The rainfall on the afternoon of 16 August 2004 was very heavy. 185 mm (7 inches) of rain fell over the high ground just inland of Boscastle, England. At the peak of the downpour, at about 15:40 GMT, 24 mm of rain (almost one inch) was recorded as falling in just 15 minutes at Lesnewth, 2.5 miles (4 km) up the valley from Boscastle. In Boscastle itself, 89 mm (3.5 inches) of rain was recorded in 60 minutes. The rain was very localised: four of the nearest 10 rain gauges, all within a few miles of Boscastle, showed less than 3 mm of rain that day. The cause of the very heavy localised rain is thought to be an extreme example of what has become known as the Brown Willy effect.The river banks were overflowing causing the bank to burst next to a car park and it washed away cars out to sea.

The torrential rain led to a 2 m (7 ft) rise in river levels in one hour. A 3 m (10 ft) wave—believed to have been triggered by water pooling behind debris caught under a bridge, and then being suddenly released as the bridge collapsed—surged down the main road. Water speed was in excess of 4 m/s (10 mph), more than sufficient to cause structural damage. It is estimated that 20 million tonnes (440 million gallons) of water flowed through Boscastle alone that day. The steep valley sides, and the saturated surface ensured a high amount of surface run-off.

However in an episode of Discovery Channel's Perfect Disaster, it states that the floods might have been caused by a phenomenon called a "blocking high". A blocking high is a large area of static high pressure. It can happen anywhere in the world, and the effect is deadly because the high pressure can stall other weather systems around it.

en.wikipedia.org

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Posted
  • Location: Sth Staffs/Shrops 105m/345' & NW Snowdonia 219m/719'
  • Location: Sth Staffs/Shrops 105m/345' & NW Snowdonia 219m/719'

The year the Boscastle flood happened was the first year in a long time we had gone to Scotland that week instead of Devon/Cornwall. We always used to park right next to the stream by the visitors centre as, having dogs, it was the only place that offered substantial shade. It was from there that all the cars got washed away. The photo above shows, beneath the helicopter, that there were only a couple of cars left on the side opposite the stream. Originally that car park would have had 50 or more cars in it.

Below are some pictures I took from 23 June 2003. The second one was from the back of the car on the car park. It was normally little more than a babbling brook.

post-1596-12502508266947_thumb.jpg

post-1596-12502508165698_thumb.jpg

Edited by kar999
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Posted
  • Location: Bexley (home), C London (work)
  • Weather Preferences: Thunderstorms
  • Location: Bexley (home), C London (work)

I studied both of these events at school, but at the time did not make the connection that they were both on the same date, in the same part of the country. Although we whinge about heavy rain leading to "adverse weather warnings", it is a keen reminder that what on radar looks like ordinary heavy rain, on the ground and more importantly on saturated ground, could be a devastatingly deadly weather event!!

This also reminds of the Aberfan disaster (Oct 1966), which took 144 lives, many of those who were children. That particular disaster was caused by a combination of persistent heavy rain on saturated ground, and mankind's baffling ineptitude/ignorance.

Edited by Harry
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  • 1 year later...
Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

Regarding the Boscastle event the RMetS brought out a special edition of Weather that goes into great detail of the whole event. August 2005, Vol, 60, No.8. It includes meteorological analysis of the conditions leading to flooding on the 16th August 2004.

This Modis satellite image clearly shows the line of storms originating near Wadrbridge at the head of the Camel estuary.

Credit "NERC Satellite Receiving Station, Dundee University, Scotland" http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/

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Posted
  • Location: Napton on the Hill Warwickshire 500ft
  • Weather Preferences: Snow and heatwave
  • Location: Napton on the Hill Warwickshire 500ft

The old head master of the school I use to go to had an entry (in the hall of fame) left after losing family to the Lynmouth Floods

I joined the school in 1976 the headmaster then had been there since 1960 so he would have been the head master before that or one before that

I remember it as I looked it up in the library re ‘Lynmouth floods’

They had pictures of old headmasters and school classes going back to at least 1900 at the school.

Edited by stewfox
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  • 1 year later...
Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

The articles from the RMetS. Well worth a read.

Cloudburst upon Hendraburnick Down:

The Boscastle storm of 16 August 2004

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1256/wea.26.05/pdf

The Boscastle flood:

Meteorological analysis of the conditions

leading to flooding on 16 August 2004

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1256/wea.71.05/pdf

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Posted
  • Location: Wimborne, Dorset
  • Weather Preferences: Snow (of course) Storms, Sunshine, everything begging with 'S'
  • Location: Wimborne, Dorset

A couple of years ago we stayed in Lynmouth for a holiday and got friendly with an old couple who lived in there. They told us that there were a few local people who were waiting for the release of certain MOD files, which they hoped would prove that the 'weather' that brought the flooding was due to the MOD in Sailsbury 'peppering' the clouds. I have no further information on this and do not know how much of it is true, but thought it might be interesting to bring it to light.

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Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

A couple of years ago we stayed in Lynmouth for a holiday and got friendly with an old couple who lived in there. They told us that there were a few local people who were waiting for the release of certain MOD files, which they hoped would prove that the 'weather' that brought the flooding was due to the MOD in Sailsbury 'peppering' the clouds. I have no further information on this and do not know how much of it is true, but thought it might be interesting to bring it to light.

Yes that old chestnut has been doing the rounds for years but thanks all the same.

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Posted
  • Location: Wimborne, Dorset
  • Weather Preferences: Snow (of course) Storms, Sunshine, everything begging with 'S'
  • Location: Wimborne, Dorset

Lol - glad its old news. I personally think that the MOD theory is not as dramatic as the natural forces of mother nature.

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  • 9 years later...
Posted
  • Location: Cheshire
  • Location: Cheshire

59 years and 17 years since the historic floods at Lynmouth and Boscastle. I don't remember Lynmouth but I do recall Boscastle. We were in the Czech Republic at the time and I recall being flabbergasted at the scenes of devastation on BBC World TV which (as is often the nature of things) was very localised. RIP all those who lost their lives at Lynmouth and those who continue to mourn them, and grateful thanks to the emergency services who undoubtedly saved many lives at both locations.   

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  • 1 year later...
Posted
  • Location: halifax 125m
  • Weather Preferences: extremes the unusual and interesting facts
  • Location: halifax 125m

I remember watching a documentry around the time about the disaster and many tonnes of boulders had to be removed that had washed down from the moors.These boulders had cleaned out the steep valley tributaries only to reveal even larger boulders many significantly larger from previous deluges.The conclusion was that even though these were rare events,it had happened before and had been significantly worse to have washed such large boulders down.

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Posted
  • Location: Colchester, Essex, UK (33m ASL)
  • Location: Colchester, Essex, UK (33m ASL)

Both Boscastle and Lynmouth now have systems in place to hopefully prevent a repeat of either. 

Lynmouth has a huge wide channel which was built after the flood. 

Boscastle similarly has a culvert and a fairly wide channel now down to the harbour. 

Both rivers are kept very much clear of debris as it was a factor in the floods and also no building encroachment on the river margins is allowed.

I visit both quite regularly, at least twice a year for Lynmouth (tied in with work), and it will be twice this year for Boscastle too with a week there in October. Gotta have my fix of Cornwall as often as I can especially the Bodmin up to the Tamar Valley area where my family come from 😁

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Posted
  • Location: Bacup Lancashire, 1000ft up in the South Pennines
  • Weather Preferences: Summer heat and winter cold, and a bit of snow when on offer
  • Location: Bacup Lancashire, 1000ft up in the South Pennines

Drove up to Boscastle during a few days staying in Newquay last September and we spent a lovely sunny and warm few hours wandering about.

it was the first time I’d been there since a couple of years before the flood and it surprised us how similar it looked considering the fact that it was almost wiped off the map.

yes a few of the shops and businesses have plaques showing how high the water level came but the standard of the rebuilding work has been such that anyone not familiar with the floods would not have a clue as to what went on.

 

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Posted
  • Location: Colchester, Essex, UK (33m ASL)
  • Location: Colchester, Essex, UK (33m ASL)
3 hours ago, iand61 said:

Drove up to Boscastle during a few days staying in Newquay last September and we spent a lovely sunny and warm few hours wandering about.

it was the first time I’d been there since a couple of years before the flood and it surprised us how similar it looked considering the fact that it was almost wiped off the map.

yes a few of the shops and businesses have plaques showing how high the water level came but the standard of the rebuilding work has been such that anyone not familiar with the floods would not have a clue as to what went on.

 

Harbour Lights was severely damaged, the clothing shop near the bridge is a complete rebuild. The Riverside had the corner taken out, that's been rebuilt and it gutted the Welly Hotel when the river decided to go through it dumping tons of debris inside, that's been restored. All the little cottages on the right hand side as you look down the harbour and the old Ship Pub had damage along with the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic. 

Edited by SnowBear
Clarity
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