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2015–16 Great Britain and Ireland floods

March 03, 2023

The 2015–2016 Great Britain and Ireland floods were a series of heavy rainfall events which led to flooding during the winter of late 2015 and early 2016. 11 named storms produced record level rainfall from November 2015 - March 2016 in both monthly and seasonal accumulation records.[2]

2015–2016 Great Britain and Ireland floods
Generic flood image
Property damage£1.5bn[1]

Antecedent conditions

Western Europe saw a series of extratropical cyclones forming in a westerly flow over the Atlantic, directing warm and moist air to the region. A situation developed in a similar manner to that seen during the Autumn 2000 western Europe floods, which saw catchments and soils becoming increasingly saturated. During November high rainfalls associated with the passage of Storm Abigail and the remains of Ex-hurricane Kate brought increasingly high river flows.[3] Many parts of north-west Britain saw almost double the average monthly rainfall for November fall, with the month becoming the second-wettest to affect north-west England and North Wales (behind November 2009) since records began in 1910.[4][5][6]

Storm Desmond (5 December)

 
Satellite image of the plume of moist air, known as an atmospheric river, brought to Western Europe by Desmond
Main article: Storm Desmond

Storm Desmond broke the United Kingdom's 24-hour rainfall record, with 341.4 mm of rain falling at Honister Pass, Cumbria, on 5 December 2015.[7] The previous record was set in 2009, also in Cumbria, when 316.4 mm of rain fell in Seathwaite.[7] The highest standard 0900 GMT – 0900 GMT rain day record, however, remains 279 mm at Martinstown, Dorset set on 18 July 1955. Much of the historical data is recorded in this way.[8] The 48‑hour rainfall record was also beaten, with Thirlmere reporting 405 mm of rain falling up to 0800 GMT on 6 December 2015, compared to the previous record of 395.6 mm on 18–19 November 2009 at Seathwaite.[8] Desmond created an atmospheric river in its wake, bringing in moist air from the Caribbean to the British Isles. As a result, rainfall from Desmond was unusually heavy, with the Norwegian Meteorological Institute designating Desmond an extreme weather event as a result of the amount of rain that fell.

The heavy rainfall caused a waterfall to appear at Malham Cove for a short period of time; this had not previously happened in living memory.[9]

Cumbria and Lancashire floods

 
Carlisle Civic Centre in the floodwater, December 2015

Heavy rainfall from Desmond caused severe disruption. Appleby, Keswick and Kendal in the English county of Cumbria suffered blocked roads, collapsed bridges and some homes were evacuated; Cumbria Police declared the situation a "major incident".[10] Many houses in Carlisle were flooded, and tens of thousands of properties in Lancaster lost power when a sub-station was flooded.[11]

As a result of this event 3,500 properties were flooded in the UK, mostly in NW England, 2,000 of these in Carlisle.[12] The village of Glenridding flooded for a second time on 9 December.[13]

In the county three bridges were washed away, Coledale High Bridge in Braithwaite, the Fitz Footbridge in Keswick, and that at Pooley Bridge in the Eden District.[14] Part of the A591 road an important north-south artery between Grasmere and Keswick in the Lake District, was washed away at Dunmail Raise with a landslip occurring adjacent to Thirlmere.[15][16]

Ireland

In the Republic of Ireland, the worst affected areas were the province of Connacht and counties Donegal, Westmeath, Tipperary, Limerick, Clare, Cork and Kerry. Several, particularly local, roads were closed as a result of rivers breaching their banks and excess rainfall. In Connacht, the damage was worst in Athleague, Ballinasloe, Carrick-on-Shannon, Claregalway, Crossmolina, Foxford and Galway City. Millions of euros worth of damage was caused in Bandon, Fermoy, Kenmare and Tralee, while the Blackpool area of Cork City was severely affected by a high level of water flow in the River Lee. Heavy rain has also resulted in severe flooding in communities along the River Shannon, namely Athlone, Portumna, Shannon Harbour, Montpelier, Castleconnell, Clonlara, Parteen, Annacotty and Limerick City. The river breached its banks in Athlone on 9 December.[17] Other areas affected due to heavy rainfall included Bray, Clonmel and Ennis. In Glaslough, County Monaghan, the dead body of a 70-year-old man was found when his car was believed to have become trapped in a dipped part of a flooded road.[18]

Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and the Isle of Man

Approximately 1,000 people were evacuated from their homes in the town of Hawick in the Scottish Borders as a result of the River Teviot flooding. The River Nith burst its banks in Dumfries, flooding part of the town,[19] with a major emergency being declared in Dumfries & Galloway as a result.[20] Landslides and flooding closed some main roads in Scotland. Counties Down and Tyrone in Northern Ireland suffered road closures from fallen trees.[10]

Further heavy rainfall exacerbated existing problems on the Isle of Man, which had been struck by localised flash flooding on 3 December,[21] with warnings that Desmond could bring more flooding and more damage to the island.[22]

In Wales, heavy rainfall led to flooding close to Llandygai, near Bangor in Gwynedd, with RNLI coastguard helicopters rescuing one person from their car.[23] Flooding was also reported on Anglesey, in parts of Powys and in and around the South Wales city of Swansea.[23] Wind damage was reported in Llandudno and winds gusted to 83 mph within the Snowdonia National Park.

Storm Eva (24 December)

Main article: Storm Eva

Eva was the fifth storm to be officially named by Met Éireann on 22 December 2015, with an orange wind warning being issued for counties Clare, Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal. Gales were also expected in the northwest of the UK, with storm force winds over parts of the Outer Hebrides.[24]

Rain associated with the passage of Eva caused further disruption when rivers burst their banks in the Cumbrian towns of Appleby, Keswick and Kendal on 22 December, with Appleby receiving three to four feet of flood water.[25][26] The village of Glenridding was badly flooded for the third time in the month.[27] 6000 houses in Ireland were left without power.[28] Liz Truss convened a COBRA meeting to decide on emergency measures, which included the deployment of soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment[29] to the affected areas.[30][31] On 24 December, flood defence gates were closed in Carlisle, Keswick and Cockermouth to limit the damage of rainfall and 20 water pumps and two kilometres of temporary flood barriers were transported to northern England.[32] Ferries operating between Dublin and Holyhead were cancelled due to bad weather on the Irish Sea.[33]

Christmas and Boxing Day rain

The Environment Agency issued seven severe flood warnings across Lancashire and 21 severe flood warnings across Yorkshire on 26 December.[34]

 
The Waterside, a public house in Summerseat that partially collapsed into the River Irwell on Boxing Day, photographed in the aftermath of the collapse

Northern England flooding

The worst of the flooding occurred on the night of Christmas Day and throughout Boxing Day across Lancashire and Yorkshire. On 26 December, homes were evacuated in Calder Valley, West Yorkshire, and in Ribchester and Whalley, Lancashire; according to the Environment Agency, every river in Lancashire peaked at their highest levels since records began.[34]

 
The River Wharfe risen to the height of the bridge at Wetherby, West Yorkshire.
 
Partially collapsed Tadcaster Bridge (30 December 2015)

Flooding caused at least two explosions in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, as gas mains were ruptured. One explosion and subsequent fire occurred as a result of a footbridge being swept away by the River Irwell, with footage of the incident being widely shared on social media.[35] Floodwater also entered an electricity sub station in Hebden Bridge producing a fire.

In Summerseat, Greater Manchester, a historic 200-year-old pub on a bridge over the River Irwell close to the East Lancashire Railway partially collapsed into the river as it burst its banks on 26 December.[34] The Irwell also burst its banks downstream in Manchester city centre.

Around 3,000 homes were left without power in North and West Yorkshire on 26 December as a result of an electricity substation being flooded.[36] Most of the power outages occurred in the Calder Valley and around Bingley and Skipton, with substation owners Northern Powergrid stating that their engineers cannot safely reach the substations to assess the damage due to rising floodwaters.[36]

Many parts of Mirfield flooded affecting local businesses The Ship Inn, Mill Carpets and Furniture And Choice who lost 10% of their stock to flood damage.[37]

 
The River Aire at Farsley on 27 December.

In Leeds the River Aire flooded over its banks causing flooding in the Kirkstall Road area of the city, blocking a main route into the city.[38]

A total of 7,574 homes across the north of England were without power by 08:00 on 27 December. Around 5,500 of these homes without power were located in the town of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, where a major electricity substation was flooded.[39] As a result of power outages in Rochdale, electricity customers were told to limit their electricity usage to prevent further blackouts, for example by switching off their Christmas lights.[40] Electricity provider Electricity North West warned that some homes may be without power until 28 December.[39]

In York the Environment Agency were forced to open the Foss Barrier which has protected the city centre since 1987, as the control room had become flooded and the pumps were in danger of failing. To prevent the River Foss backing up and causing flooding, the Agency raised the barrier, allowing the flood waters from the River Ouse to move up the Foss.[41] The action caused some 600 households in the city to flood whereas the Environment agency estimated 1800 homes would have flooded were the barrier not lifted.[42]

On 29 December part of Tadcaster Bridge in North Yorkshire collapsed due to flooding,[43] having been closed since 27 December due to fears it had been structurally compromised.[44]

Sport

Heavy rainfall overnight on 25 and 26 December led to the cancellation of dozens of Boxing Day football fixtures. In the Scottish Premiership, waterlogged pitches led to the postponement of fixtures between Dundee United and Motherwell and between Partick Thistle and St Johnstone. In addition, one Scottish Championship fixture, one Scottish League One fixture and one Scottish League Two fixture were also postponed due to Eva.[45]

Additionally, in England, the Championship fixture between Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough was postponed, as were five fixtures in League One, three fixtures in League Two and three fixtures in the National League.[45] In horseracing, the meeting due to be held on 26 December at Wetherby Racecourse was cancelled owing to flooding.[46]

Transport

Road

The Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and North Wales Police warned motorists not to travel unless absolutely necessary, with heavy rainfall and high winds leading to widespread road closures.[34] The M62 motorway was closed westbound between junctions 20 (for Rochdale) and 19 (for Middleton) after heavy rainfall caused a large sinkhole to appear across the carriageway.[34] The Tadcaster Bridge over the River Wharfe at Tadcaster, North Yorkshire collapsed on 29 December.[47] The bridge over the Wharfe between Collingham and Linton was also closed after a partial collapse.[48]

Rail

First TransPennine Express and Northern Rail both warned passengers not to travel on 27 December. Flooding on railway lines across West Yorkshire, particularly around Leeds, resulted in the suspension of all services between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square, Carlisle, Harrogate, Ilkley, Manchester Victoria, Morecambe, Skipton and York. A landslide at Chorley resulted in the suspension of services between Manchester, Bolton and Preston, while another landslide at Haydon Bridge resulted in the suspension of Newcastle to Carlisle services. Disruption was also reported on services between Wigan Wallgate and Bolton and between Carlisle and Whitehaven as a result of flooding on 27 December.[49]

Response

Domestic
 
Floodwater is pumped back into the retreating River Derwent at Malton on 27 December.

Prime Minister David Cameron issued a statement on 27 December after chairing an emergency COBRA crisis meeting on Storm Eva, describing the floods as "unprecedented" and "incredibly serious" and pledging help to those affected by sending out more troops to help with the defence and clearup of the floods.[50] The Times reported that senior politicians regarded the floods as being the result of extreme weather caused by climate change.[51]

Labour Shadow Environment Secretary Kerry McCarthy criticised the government for cutting spending on flood defences, stating that as "unprecedented" weather events become more common, spending on flood defences should be increased.[23]

British astronaut Tim Peake tweeted an image from the ISS expressing concern for flood victims.[52][53]

International

Storm Frank (29 December)

The Met Office announced the trailing weather front of the storm named Frank would likely cause further disruption.

Amber 'be prepared' rainfall warnings were in force, resulting in severe flood warnings in England and Scotland, meaning "danger to life".[55][56]

 
Service disruption notice Glasgow Central railway station 31 December 2015

Frank caused severe flooding in Scotland with the towns of Dumfries, Peebles and Ballater flooded by the rivers Nith, Tweed and Dee.[57] Abergeldie Castle was left on the brink of serious damage after flooding eroded the banks of the Dee within feet of the foundations.[58] On 4 January, Network Rail announced the West Coast Main Line between Carlisle and Glasgow would be closed until 1 February, with passengers either diverted through Dumfries or transferred to coaches due to significant damage to the Lamington Viaduct.[59]

Part of Birnbeck Pier at Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, collapsed during storms on 30 December 2015.[60] Elland bridge in Calderdale West Yorkshire partially collapsed on 29 December.[61]

January 2016

In early January heavy rain was primarily affecting eastern Scotland and north east England. The Met Office issued amber warnings for Moray, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Perthshire and Stirlingshire on 4 January.[62] Flooding was reported to have almost cut off the town of Whitby on 4 January.[63]

On the night of 7 January, Aberdeenshire Council reported an escalating emergency response due to flooding. At first, this was confined to rivers Dee and Ythan, but later, on 8 January, had focused around flooding around Coulter, South Lanarkshire. Up to 70 properties were evacuated in total and the impacts of the storm caused disruption to rail, road, air travel, power cuts and school closures. Flooding, freezing temperature and snow reduced the ability for services to rescue and safely contain people. The River Don reached its highest water levels for 45 years. The River Ythan broke its all-time record level in one location. Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon described the impacts as "devastating" and Richard Brown, head of hydrology for Sepa, described the Don's water levels as "pretty exceptional".[64]

Aftermath

In response to the flooding, there has been criticism of the way in which flood risk is communicated to the public, as return periods of a 1 in 100 year flooding could be misleading, as a 1 in 100 year event means a 1% chance of one occurring in any given year, not that it is expected to happen once every hundred years. The dynamic nature of the underlying climate conditions behind such assumptions has also been questioned,[65] with the Environment Agency stating that a "complete rethink" of the UK's flood defences is needed.[66]

References

  1. ^ "UK floods: Cost of Storms Eva and Desmond could top £1.5bn". BBC News. 28 December 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  2. ^ Séamus Walsh (6 November 2016). "06 – The Rainfall of Winter 2015/16 in Ireland" (Conference paper). Hydrology Ireland. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  3. ^ Ugrin, Elena (16 November 2015). "Storm "Abigail" and remnants of Ex-hurricane "Kate" flood parts of UK and Ireland". The Watchers. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  4. ^ "Flooding in Cumbria December 2015". Met Office. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  5. ^ Prichard, Bob (January 2016). "November 2015 Very mild and dull. Very wet in central regions. Often windy". Weather. 71 (1): i–iv. doi:10.1002/wea.2592.
  6. ^ "UK seasonal weather summary Autumn 2015". Weather. 71 (1): 13. January 2016. Bibcode:2016Wthr...71...13.. doi:10.1002/wea.2676.
  7. ^ a b "UK climate extremes". Met Office.
  8. ^ a b "Storm Desmond breaks UK rainfall record". ITV. 7 December 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  9. ^ "Malham Cove: Storm Desmond brings 'highest' waterfall back to life". BBC News.
  10. ^ a b "Storm Desmond brings flooding and disruption to parts of UK". BBC News. 5 December 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  11. ^ "Storm Desmond: Thousands of people flooded out of homes". BBC. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  12. ^ "Northwest UK Floods December 4–6, 2015". Air Worldwide. 12 December 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  13. ^ Quinn, Ben (10 December 2015). "Cumbrian village deals with more devastation as river bursts banks again". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  14. ^ "Government announces £50m fund for flood victims". ITV News. 6 December 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  15. ^ "Road between Grasmere and Keswick destroyed". ITN News. 6 December 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  16. ^ "Police release statement on A591". Westmorland Gazette. 7 December 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  17. ^ "Flooding 'not set to peak until Sunday' and threat will remain next week – national emergency meeting – Independent.ie". Independent.ie. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  18. ^ "Singer Ivan Vaughan dies in floods in Co Monaghan". The Irish Times. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  19. ^ "Red Warning as Storm Desmond batters parts of Scotland". BBC News. 5 December 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  20. ^ "Major emergency declared in Dumfries & Galloway". ITV News. 5 December 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  21. ^ "Bridge collapse bus to be recovered after IoM flooding". BBC News. 4 December 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
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  23. ^ a b c "700 homes without power as 83mph winds batter north Wales". BBC News. 5 December 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
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  25. ^ Perring, Rebecca (24 December 2015). "Army on standby for flooding crisis as shock FIVE INCHES of rain to come with Storm Eva". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
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  28. ^ "Over 6,000 without power as Storm Eva hits". RTÉ.ie. 24 December 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  29. ^ "Flood warnings as Britain is braced for torrential Boxing Day rain". Isle of Man Today. 29 December 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2016.[permanent dead link]
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  31. ^ "Flooded Cumbrian families are facing further misery on Christmas Day". The Independent. 23 December 2015. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  32. ^ "Storm poses Christmas Day flooding threat for thousands of homes". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  33. ^ "Homes and businesses to get electricity back after storm damage". belfasttelegraph. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  34. ^ a b c d e "UK floods: Homes evacuated amid heavy rain". BBC News. 26 December 2015.
  35. ^ "Flooding Causes Gas Blast As Bridge Washed Away". Sky News.
  36. ^ a b "Floods latest: Boxing Day power cuts for thousands in Yorkshire". ITV News.
  37. ^ Gildea, Samantha (15 February 2016). "Furniture Choice considering warehouse relocation after 600 sofas ruined in Boxing Day floods".
  38. ^ "Leeds floods video: Kirkstall Road 'like a river – people can't believe what they're seeing'". Yorkshire Evening Post. 27 December 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  39. ^ a b "PM Deploys More Troops To Help Flood Victims". Sky News.
  40. ^ "North of England flooding". BBC News. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  41. ^ Krol, Charlotte (28 December 2015). . Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 December 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  42. ^ Bean, Dan (4 January 2016). "Flooding envoy visits York". York Press. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  43. ^ "Statement on Tadcaster Bridge". North Yorkshire County Council. 30 December 2015.
  44. ^ "Storm Frank: More heavy rain expected in flood-hit areas". ITV News. 29 December 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  45. ^ a b Erdman, Jon (6 December 2015). "Storm Desmond Lashes U.K., Ireland With Flooding, Winds Over 100 MPH; Taps Caribbean Moisture". Weather.com. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  46. ^ "26/12/15 The 188BET Yorkshire Christmas Meeting – ABANDONED". Wetherby Racecourse. 26 December 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  47. ^ "UK floods: Storm Frank threatens more misery". BBC News. 29 December 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  48. ^ "People warned to avoid Linton Bridge due to flood damage". Leeds City Council. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  49. ^ "National Rail Enquiries - Latest Travel". www.nationalrail.co.uk.
  50. ^ "UK floods: Homes evacuated after 'unprecedented' flooding". BBC News. 27 December 2015.
  51. ^ Savage, Michael; Mostrous, Alexi; Moody, Oliver (28 December 2015). "Flood crisis grips cities with more rain forecast". The Times. London. p. 4.
  52. ^ "Astronaut Tim Peake's concern for UK floods". BBC News. 28 December 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  53. ^ Tim Peake [@astro_timpeake] (27 December 2015). "Passed over UK today – thoughts are with all those affected by flooding in northern England" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 January 2016 – via Twitter.
  54. ^ "President expresses solidarity with flood victims in UK". Times of Malta. 28 December 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  55. ^ "Storm Frank to bring another spell of wet and windy weather". Met Office. 28 December 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  56. ^ "Widespread flood warnings as UK braces for Storm Frank". The Guardian. 29 December 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  57. ^ "After Storm Frank, Scotland rallies to fix itself amid the chaos". The Guardian. 1 January 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  58. ^ McPherson, Lynn (3 January 2016). "Historic castle on brink of disaster as new storm sparks fresh flood fears across Scotland". Daily Record. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  59. ^ "West Coast Main Line closed between Glasgow and Carlisle until February". STV. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  60. ^ "Section of Birnbeck Pier collapses into sea". BBC News. 30 December 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  61. ^ "Elland Bridge flood damage: Government awards £5m towards rebuilding". BBC News. 17 January 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  62. ^ "Homes flooded in Scotland as heavy rain hits". BBC News. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  63. ^ "Whitby cut off by 'unprecedented' levels of flooding". ITV News. 4 January 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  64. ^ "Scotland flooding: Record high for river levels". BBC News. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  65. ^ Alexander, Ruth (7 December 2015). "Flood risk: what is a 'one in a 100 year' event?". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  66. ^ "UK floods: 'Complete rethink needed' on flood defences". BBC News. 28 December 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2015.

External links

  • Centre for Ecology and Hydrology: The winter floods of 2015/2016 in the UK - a review
  • The winter 2015/2016 floods in the UK: a hydrological appraisal
  • Winter 2015 floods: government response
  • Centre for Ecology and Hydrology: Briefing 15/01 North West floods – Hydrological update
  • Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Briefing Note: Severity of the December 2015 floods – preliminary analysis
  • Scottish Flood Forecasting Service: Storm Desmond – Scotland’s first red flood risk
  • NASA's IMERG Measures Flooding Rainfall In Northwest England (Desmond)
  • Hansard, HoC debate: Flooding 5 January 2016

March 03, 2023
2015, great, britain, ireland, floods, this, article, lead, section, short, adequately, summarize, points, please, consider, expanding, lead, provide, accessible, overview, important, aspects, article, february, 2016, 2015, 2016, great, britain, ireland, flood. This article s lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article February 2016 The 2015 2016 Great Britain and Ireland floods were a series of heavy rainfall events which led to flooding during the winter of late 2015 and early 2016 11 named storms produced record level rainfall from November 2015 March 2016 in both monthly and seasonal accumulation records 2 2015 2016 Great Britain and Ireland floodsGeneric flood imageProperty damage 1 5bn 1 Contents 1 Antecedent conditions 2 Storm Desmond 5 December 2 1 Cumbria and Lancashire floods 2 2 Ireland 2 3 Scotland Northern Ireland Wales and the Isle of Man 3 Storm Eva 24 December 4 Christmas and Boxing Day rain 4 1 Northern England flooding 4 1 1 Sport 4 1 2 Transport 4 1 2 1 Road 4 1 2 2 Rail 4 1 3 Response 4 1 3 1 Domestic 4 1 3 2 International 5 Storm Frank 29 December 6 January 2016 7 Aftermath 8 References 9 External linksAntecedent conditions EditWestern Europe saw a series of extratropical cyclones forming in a westerly flow over the Atlantic directing warm and moist air to the region A situation developed in a similar manner to that seen during the Autumn 2000 western Europe floods which saw catchments and soils becoming increasingly saturated During November high rainfalls associated with the passage of Storm Abigail and the remains of Ex hurricane Kate brought increasingly high river flows 3 Many parts of north west Britain saw almost double the average monthly rainfall for November fall with the month becoming the second wettest to affect north west England and North Wales behind November 2009 since records began in 1910 4 5 6 Storm Desmond 5 December Edit Satellite image of the plume of moist air known as an atmospheric river brought to Western Europe by Desmond Main article Storm Desmond Storm Desmond broke the United Kingdom s 24 hour rainfall record with 341 4 mm of rain falling at Honister Pass Cumbria on 5 December 2015 7 The previous record was set in 2009 also in Cumbria when 316 4 mm of rain fell in Seathwaite 7 The highest standard 0900 GMT 0900 GMT rain day record however remains 279 mm at Martinstown Dorset set on 18 July 1955 Much of the historical data is recorded in this way 8 The 48 hour rainfall record was also beaten with Thirlmere reporting 405 mm of rain falling up to 0800 GMT on 6 December 2015 compared to the previous record of 395 6 mm on 18 19 November 2009 at Seathwaite 8 Desmond created an atmospheric river in its wake bringing in moist air from the Caribbean to the British Isles As a result rainfall from Desmond was unusually heavy with the Norwegian Meteorological Institute designating Desmond an extreme weather event as a result of the amount of rain that fell The heavy rainfall caused a waterfall to appear at Malham Cove for a short period of time this had not previously happened in living memory 9 Cumbria and Lancashire floods Edit Carlisle Civic Centre in the floodwater December 2015 Heavy rainfall from Desmond caused severe disruption Appleby Keswick and Kendal in the English county of Cumbria suffered blocked roads collapsed bridges and some homes were evacuated Cumbria Police declared the situation a major incident 10 Many houses in Carlisle were flooded and tens of thousands of properties in Lancaster lost power when a sub station was flooded 11 As a result of this event 3 500 properties were flooded in the UK mostly in NW England 2 000 of these in Carlisle 12 The village of Glenridding flooded for a second time on 9 December 13 In the county three bridges were washed away Coledale High Bridge in Braithwaite the Fitz Footbridge in Keswick and that at Pooley Bridge in the Eden District 14 Part of the A591 road an important north south artery between Grasmere and Keswick in the Lake District was washed away at Dunmail Raise with a landslip occurring adjacent to Thirlmere 15 16 Ireland Edit In the Republic of Ireland the worst affected areas were the province of Connacht and counties Donegal Westmeath Tipperary Limerick Clare Cork and Kerry Several particularly local roads were closed as a result of rivers breaching their banks and excess rainfall In Connacht the damage was worst in Athleague Ballinasloe Carrick on Shannon Claregalway Crossmolina Foxford and Galway City Millions of euros worth of damage was caused in Bandon Fermoy Kenmare and Tralee while the Blackpool area of Cork City was severely affected by a high level of water flow in the River Lee Heavy rain has also resulted in severe flooding in communities along the River Shannon namely Athlone Portumna Shannon Harbour Montpelier Castleconnell Clonlara Parteen Annacotty and Limerick City The river breached its banks in Athlone on 9 December 17 Other areas affected due to heavy rainfall included Bray Clonmel and Ennis In Glaslough County Monaghan the dead body of a 70 year old man was found when his car was believed to have become trapped in a dipped part of a flooded road 18 Scotland Northern Ireland Wales and the Isle of Man Edit Approximately 1 000 people were evacuated from their homes in the town of Hawick in the Scottish Borders as a result of the River Teviot flooding The River Nith burst its banks in Dumfries flooding part of the town 19 with a major emergency being declared in Dumfries amp Galloway as a result 20 Landslides and flooding closed some main roads in Scotland Counties Down and Tyrone in Northern Ireland suffered road closures from fallen trees 10 Further heavy rainfall exacerbated existing problems on the Isle of Man which had been struck by localised flash flooding on 3 December 21 with warnings that Desmond could bring more flooding and more damage to the island 22 In Wales heavy rainfall led to flooding close to Llandygai near Bangor in Gwynedd with RNLI coastguard helicopters rescuing one person from their car 23 Flooding was also reported on Anglesey in parts of Powys and in and around the South Wales city of Swansea 23 Wind damage was reported in Llandudno and winds gusted to 83 mph within the Snowdonia National Park Storm Eva 24 December EditMain article Storm Eva Eva was the fifth storm to be officially named by Met Eireann on 22 December 2015 with an orange wind warning being issued for counties Clare Galway Mayo Sligo and Donegal Gales were also expected in the northwest of the UK with storm force winds over parts of the Outer Hebrides 24 Rain associated with the passage of Eva caused further disruption when rivers burst their banks in the Cumbrian towns of Appleby Keswick and Kendal on 22 December with Appleby receiving three to four feet of flood water 25 26 The village of Glenridding was badly flooded for the third time in the month 27 6000 houses in Ireland were left without power 28 Liz Truss convened a COBRA meeting to decide on emergency measures which included the deployment of soldiers from the 2nd Battalion Duke of Lancaster s Regiment 29 to the affected areas 30 31 On 24 December flood defence gates were closed in Carlisle Keswick and Cockermouth to limit the damage of rainfall and 20 water pumps and two kilometres of temporary flood barriers were transported to northern England 32 Ferries operating between Dublin and Holyhead were cancelled due to bad weather on the Irish Sea 33 Christmas and Boxing Day rain EditThe Environment Agency issued seven severe flood warnings across Lancashire and 21 severe flood warnings across Yorkshire on 26 December 34 The Waterside a public house in Summerseat that partially collapsed into the River Irwell on Boxing Day photographed in the aftermath of the collapse Northern England flooding Edit The worst of the flooding occurred on the night of Christmas Day and throughout Boxing Day across Lancashire and Yorkshire On 26 December homes were evacuated in Calder Valley West Yorkshire and in Ribchester and Whalley Lancashire according to the Environment Agency every river in Lancashire peaked at their highest levels since records began 34 The River Wharfe risen to the height of the bridge at Wetherby West Yorkshire Partially collapsed Tadcaster Bridge 30 December 2015 Flooding caused at least two explosions in Radcliffe Greater Manchester as gas mains were ruptured One explosion and subsequent fire occurred as a result of a footbridge being swept away by the River Irwell with footage of the incident being widely shared on social media 35 Floodwater also entered an electricity sub station in Hebden Bridge producing a fire In Summerseat Greater Manchester a historic 200 year old pub on a bridge over the River Irwell close to the East Lancashire Railway partially collapsed into the river as it burst its banks on 26 December 34 The Irwell also burst its banks downstream in Manchester city centre Around 3 000 homes were left without power in North and West Yorkshire on 26 December as a result of an electricity substation being flooded 36 Most of the power outages occurred in the Calder Valley and around Bingley and Skipton with substation owners Northern Powergrid stating that their engineers cannot safely reach the substations to assess the damage due to rising floodwaters 36 Many parts of Mirfield flooded affecting local businesses The Ship Inn Mill Carpets and Furniture And Choice who lost 10 of their stock to flood damage 37 The River Aire at Farsley on 27 December In Leeds the River Aire flooded over its banks causing flooding in the Kirkstall Road area of the city blocking a main route into the city 38 A total of 7 574 homes across the north of England were without power by 08 00 on 27 December Around 5 500 of these homes without power were located in the town of Rochdale in Greater Manchester where a major electricity substation was flooded 39 As a result of power outages in Rochdale electricity customers were told to limit their electricity usage to prevent further blackouts for example by switching off their Christmas lights 40 Electricity provider Electricity North West warned that some homes may be without power until 28 December 39 In York the Environment Agency were forced to open the Foss Barrier which has protected the city centre since 1987 as the control room had become flooded and the pumps were in danger of failing To prevent the River Foss backing up and causing flooding the Agency raised the barrier allowing the flood waters from the River Ouse to move up the Foss 41 The action caused some 600 households in the city to flood whereas the Environment agency estimated 1800 homes would have flooded were the barrier not lifted 42 On 29 December part of Tadcaster Bridge in North Yorkshire collapsed due to flooding 43 having been closed since 27 December due to fears it had been structurally compromised 44 Sport Edit Heavy rainfall overnight on 25 and 26 December led to the cancellation of dozens of Boxing Day football fixtures In the Scottish Premiership waterlogged pitches led to the postponement of fixtures between Dundee United and Motherwell and between Partick Thistle and St Johnstone In addition one Scottish Championship fixture one Scottish League One fixture and one Scottish League Two fixture were also postponed due to Eva 45 Additionally in England the Championship fixture between Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough was postponed as were five fixtures in League One three fixtures in League Two and three fixtures in the National League 45 In horseracing the meeting due to be held on 26 December at Wetherby Racecourse was cancelled owing to flooding 46 Transport Edit Road Edit The Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and North Wales Police warned motorists not to travel unless absolutely necessary with heavy rainfall and high winds leading to widespread road closures 34 The M62 motorway was closed westbound between junctions 20 for Rochdale and 19 for Middleton after heavy rainfall caused a large sinkhole to appear across the carriageway 34 The Tadcaster Bridge over the River Wharfe at Tadcaster North Yorkshire collapsed on 29 December 47 The bridge over the Wharfe between Collingham and Linton was also closed after a partial collapse 48 Rail Edit First TransPennine Express and Northern Rail both warned passengers not to travel on 27 December Flooding on railway lines across West Yorkshire particularly around Leeds resulted in the suspension of all services between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square Carlisle Harrogate Ilkley Manchester Victoria Morecambe Skipton and York A landslide at Chorley resulted in the suspension of services between Manchester Bolton and Preston while another landslide at Haydon Bridge resulted in the suspension of Newcastle to Carlisle services Disruption was also reported on services between Wigan Wallgate and Bolton and between Carlisle and Whitehaven as a result of flooding on 27 December 49 Response Edit Domestic Edit Floodwater is pumped back into the retreating River Derwent at Malton on 27 December Prime Minister David Cameron issued a statement on 27 December after chairing an emergency COBRA crisis meeting on Storm Eva describing the floods as unprecedented and incredibly serious and pledging help to those affected by sending out more troops to help with the defence and clearup of the floods 50 The Times reported that senior politicians regarded the floods as being the result of extreme weather caused by climate change 51 Labour Shadow Environment Secretary Kerry McCarthy criticised the government for cutting spending on flood defences stating that as unprecedented weather events become more common spending on flood defences should be increased 23 British astronaut Tim Peake tweeted an image from the ISS expressing concern for flood victims 52 53 International Edit Malta President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca wrote to Queen Elizabeth II expressing solidarity with the flood victims 54 Storm Frank 29 December EditThe Met Office announced the trailing weather front of the storm named Frank would likely cause further disruption Amber be prepared rainfall warnings were in force resulting in severe flood warnings in England and Scotland meaning danger to life 55 56 Service disruption notice Glasgow Central railway station 31 December 2015 Frank caused severe flooding in Scotland with the towns of Dumfries Peebles and Ballater flooded by the rivers Nith Tweed and Dee 57 Abergeldie Castle was left on the brink of serious damage after flooding eroded the banks of the Dee within feet of the foundations 58 On 4 January Network Rail announced the West Coast Main Line between Carlisle and Glasgow would be closed until 1 February with passengers either diverted through Dumfries or transferred to coaches due to significant damage to the Lamington Viaduct 59 Part of Birnbeck Pier at Weston super Mare North Somerset collapsed during storms on 30 December 2015 60 Elland bridge in Calderdale West Yorkshire partially collapsed on 29 December 61 January 2016 EditIn early January heavy rain was primarily affecting eastern Scotland and north east England The Met Office issued amber warnings for Moray Aberdeenshire Angus Perthshire and Stirlingshire on 4 January 62 Flooding was reported to have almost cut off the town of Whitby on 4 January 63 On the night of 7 January Aberdeenshire Council reported an escalating emergency response due to flooding At first this was confined to rivers Dee and Ythan but later on 8 January had focused around flooding around Coulter South Lanarkshire Up to 70 properties were evacuated in total and the impacts of the storm caused disruption to rail road air travel power cuts and school closures Flooding freezing temperature and snow reduced the ability for services to rescue and safely contain people The River Don reached its highest water levels for 45 years The River Ythan broke its all time record level in one location Scotland s first minister Nicola Sturgeon described the impacts as devastating and Richard Brown head of hydrology for Sepa described the Don s water levels as pretty exceptional 64 Aftermath EditIn response to the flooding there has been criticism of the way in which flood risk is communicated to the public as return periods of a 1 in 100 year flooding could be misleading as a 1 in 100 year event means a 1 chance of one occurring in any given year not that it is expected to happen once every hundred years The dynamic nature of the underlying climate conditions behind such assumptions has also been questioned 65 with the Environment Agency stating that a complete rethink of the UK s flood defences is needed 66 References Edit UK floods Cost of Storms Eva and Desmond could top 1 5bn BBC News 28 December 2015 Retrieved 28 December 2015 Seamus Walsh 6 November 2016 06 The Rainfall of Winter 2015 16 in Ireland Conference paper Hydrology Ireland Retrieved 30 December 2022 Ugrin Elena 16 November 2015 Storm Abigail and remnants of Ex hurricane Kate flood parts of UK and Ireland The Watchers Retrieved 28 December 2015 Flooding in Cumbria December 2015 Met Office 17 December 2015 Retrieved 11 January 2016 Prichard Bob January 2016 November 2015 Very mild and dull Very wet in central regions Often windy Weather 71 1 i iv doi 10 1002 wea 2592 UK seasonal weather summary Autumn 2015 Weather 71 1 13 January 2016 Bibcode 2016Wthr 71 13 doi 10 1002 wea 2676 a b UK climate extremes Met Office a b Storm Desmond breaks UK rainfall record ITV 7 December 2015 Retrieved 10 December 2015 Malham Cove Storm Desmond brings highest waterfall back to life BBC News a b Storm Desmond brings flooding and disruption to parts of UK BBC News 5 December 2015 Retrieved 5 December 2015 Storm Desmond Thousands of people flooded out of homes BBC 8 December 2015 Retrieved 8 December 2015 Northwest UK Floods December 4 6 2015 Air Worldwide 12 December 2015 Retrieved 27 December 2015 Quinn Ben 10 December 2015 Cumbrian village deals with more devastation as river bursts banks again The Guardian Retrieved 26 December 2015 Government announces 50m fund for flood victims ITV News 6 December 2015 Retrieved 29 December 2015 Road between Grasmere and Keswick destroyed ITN News 6 December 2015 Retrieved 7 December 2015 Police release statement on A591 Westmorland Gazette 7 December 2015 Retrieved 7 December 2015 Flooding not set to peak until Sunday and threat will remain next week national emergency meeting Independent ie Independent ie Retrieved 11 December 2015 Singer Ivan Vaughan dies in floods in Co Monaghan The Irish Times Retrieved 11 December 2015 Red Warning as Storm Desmond batters parts of Scotland BBC News 5 December 2015 Retrieved 6 December 2015 Major emergency declared in Dumfries amp Galloway ITV News 5 December 2015 Retrieved 6 December 2015 Bridge collapse bus to be recovered after IoM flooding BBC News 4 December 2015 Retrieved 6 December 2015 Storm Desmond expected to wreak more havoc Manx Radio Retrieved 6 December 2015 a b c 700 homes without power as 83mph winds batter north Wales BBC News 5 December 2015 Retrieved 6 December 2015 Storm Eva Met Office 22 December 2015 Archived from the original on 24 December 2015 Retrieved 23 December 2015 Perring Rebecca 24 December 2015 Army on standby for flooding crisis as shock FIVE INCHES of rain to come with Storm Eva Express co uk Retrieved 10 January 2016 Storm Eva brings fresh flooding fears for Cumbria BBC News 23 December 2015 Retrieved 24 December 2015 Glover Mike 22 December 2015 Further flooding worsens troubles for Cumbrian towns hit by Storm Desmond The Guardian Retrieved 24 December 2015 Over 6 000 without power as Storm Eva hits RTE ie 24 December 2015 Retrieved 10 January 2016 Flood warnings as Britain is braced for torrential Boxing Day rain Isle of Man Today 29 December 2015 Retrieved 10 January 2016 permanent dead link Storm Eva brings fresh flooding fears for Cumbria BBC News 23 December 2015 Retrieved 10 January 2016 Flooded Cumbrian families are facing further misery on Christmas Day The Independent 23 December 2015 Archived from the original on 1 May 2022 Retrieved 10 January 2016 Storm poses Christmas Day flooding threat for thousands of homes Bradford Telegraph and Argus Retrieved 10 January 2016 Homes and businesses to get electricity back after storm damage belfasttelegraph Retrieved 28 July 2020 a b c d e UK floods Homes evacuated amid heavy rain BBC News 26 December 2015 Flooding Causes Gas Blast As Bridge Washed Away Sky News a b Floods latest Boxing Day power cuts for thousands in Yorkshire ITV News Gildea Samantha 15 February 2016 Furniture Choice considering warehouse relocation after 600 sofas ruined in Boxing Day floods Leeds floods video Kirkstall Road like a river people can t believe what they re seeing Yorkshire Evening Post 27 December 2015 Retrieved 14 January 2016 a b PM Deploys More Troops To Help Flood Victims Sky News North of England flooding BBC News Retrieved 30 December 2022 Krol Charlotte 28 December 2015 UK floods Army helicopter airlifts spare parts for damaged Foss barrier Telegraph Archived from the original on 28 December 2015 Retrieved 29 December 2015 Bean Dan 4 January 2016 Flooding envoy visits York York Press Retrieved 6 January 2016 Statement on Tadcaster Bridge North Yorkshire County Council 30 December 2015 Storm Frank More heavy rain expected in flood hit areas ITV News 29 December 2015 Retrieved 29 December 2015 a b Erdman Jon 6 December 2015 Storm Desmond Lashes U K Ireland With Flooding Winds Over 100 MPH Taps Caribbean Moisture Weather com Retrieved 6 December 2015 26 12 15 The 188BET Yorkshire Christmas Meeting ABANDONED Wetherby Racecourse 26 December 2015 Retrieved 28 December 2015 UK floods Storm Frank threatens more misery BBC News 29 December 2015 Retrieved 29 December 2015 People warned to avoid Linton Bridge due to flood damage Leeds City Council Retrieved 4 January 2015 National Rail Enquiries Latest Travel www nationalrail co uk UK floods Homes evacuated after unprecedented flooding BBC News 27 December 2015 Savage Michael Mostrous Alexi Moody Oliver 28 December 2015 Flood crisis grips cities with more rain forecast The Times London p 4 Astronaut Tim Peake s concern for UK floods BBC News 28 December 2015 Retrieved 29 December 2015 Tim Peake astro timpeake 27 December 2015 Passed over UK today thoughts are with all those affected by flooding in northern England Tweet Retrieved 10 January 2016 via Twitter President expresses solidarity with flood victims in UK Times of Malta 28 December 2015 Retrieved 28 December 2015 Storm Frank to bring another spell of wet and windy weather Met Office 28 December 2015 Retrieved 28 December 2015 Widespread flood warnings as UK braces for Storm Frank The Guardian 29 December 2015 Retrieved 31 December 2015 After Storm Frank Scotland rallies to fix itself amid the chaos The Guardian 1 January 2016 Retrieved 2 January 2016 McPherson Lynn 3 January 2016 Historic castle on brink of disaster as new storm sparks fresh flood fears across Scotland Daily Record Retrieved 3 January 2016 West Coast Main Line closed between Glasgow and Carlisle until February STV 4 January 2016 Retrieved 6 January 2016 Section of Birnbeck Pier collapses into sea BBC News 30 December 2015 Retrieved 30 December 2015 Elland Bridge flood damage Government awards 5m towards rebuilding BBC News 17 January 2016 Retrieved 17 January 2016 Homes flooded in Scotland as heavy rain hits BBC News 4 January 2016 Retrieved 6 January 2016 Whitby cut off by unprecedented levels of flooding ITV News 4 January 2016 Retrieved 6 January 2016 Scotland flooding Record high for river levels BBC News 8 January 2016 Retrieved 4 February 2016 Alexander Ruth 7 December 2015 Flood risk what is a one in a 100 year event BBC Radio 4 Retrieved 9 December 2015 UK floods Complete rethink needed on flood defences BBC News 28 December 2015 Retrieved 28 December 2015 External links EditCentre for Ecology and Hydrology The winter floods of 2015 2016 in the UK a review The winter 2015 2016 floods in the UK a hydrological appraisal Winter 2015 floods government response Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Briefing 15 01 North West floods Hydrological update Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Briefing Note Severity of the December 2015 floods preliminary analysis Scottish Flood Forecasting Service Storm Desmond Scotland s first red flood risk NASA s IMERG Measures Flooding Rainfall In Northwest England Desmond Hansard HoC debate Flooding 5 January 2016 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2015 16 Great Britain and Ireland floods amp oldid 1139693913, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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