2013–14 United Kingdom winter floods


The 2013–2014 United Kingdom winter floods saw areas of Ireland and the United Kingdom inundated following severe storms. The south of England saw heavy rainfalls associated with these storms which caused widespread flooding, power cuts and major disruptions to transport. Economically, the worst affected areas were Somerset, Devon, Dorset and Cornwall in the south west and the Thames Valley in the south east. The Met Office reported the storms were responsible for the wettest December to January period since 1876. The flood phenomena ranged from coastal flooding, pluvial flooding, fluvial flooding to groundwater flooding. The flooding resulted in the inundation of the majority of the Somerset Levels and saw the main railway line to Cornwall and West Devon at Dawlish severed for several weeks.

Meteorological history

A series of low pressure areas developed or formed over North America explosively deepening over the Atlantic/gulf stream before reaching the European coast. An Omega Block developed over northern Norway/Scandinavia which prevented the lows moving east over Europe, with a series of lows "dying" to the northwest of Britain and Ireland. The blocking pattern over northern Norway led to a severe drought and forest fires there in early 2014.

Time line

Coastal flooding

The period began on 5 December 2013 when a deep low pressure area moved from the Atlantic over Scotland and the North Sea inducing a storm surge in the Irish Sea and North Sea coasts of the United Kingdom. In the North Sea some of the highest level tides were recorded in the Humber and Thames estuaries, exceeding levels which occurred during the disastrous North Sea flood of 1953. Flooding occurred in Tyneside, Teesside, along the Yorkshire coast, around the Humber and the Wash, where in particular the town of Boston, Lincolnshire was badly affected by when the high tide overtopped defences.
Coastal flooding particularly affected the south and west of the UK, with severe damage reported Wales, Cornwall, Devon and Dorset.
A particularly notable event occurred on 5 February when the seawall and railway line were breached at Dawlish.

The Riviera Line and transport disruption

The main railway line between Exeter and Newton Abbot was severed on 3 February when a 165 ft section of the Riviera Line track was damaged at Dawlish. Network Rail said it had pulled all repair staff away from working on washed away track on 4 February. A section of the town's sea wall was later reported to have washed away among with the track. A Network Rail spokesman estimated "hundreds of tonnes" of ballast had been dislodged from under tracks after they had "taken a real pounding from the sea".
The damage to sea defenses were not the only problem as the weather also forced the closure of the main Exeter-to-Newton Abbot railway line in Devon in early February. In a press release, First Great Western had initially said the Exeter-Newton Abbot line would only be closed until Wednesday as a result of the "poor weather conditions", but this was extended the until the end of the week.
This was not unique since high tides also lashed Plymouth's Hoe seafront and the nearby Barbican. Near the city of Exeter, firefighters rescued a man from a vehicle stuck in floodwater. Sea defences, walls and footpaths were damaged, including at Newlyn Green on 4 February. The Tamar Bridge between Plymouth in Devon and Saltash in Cornwall was closed to all traffic for a period after wind speeds surpassed.
It was reckoned that the storms had caused more than £4m worth of damage across Cornwall in a month.
David Cameron chaired his first Cobra meeting of the year and announced an extra £100m for flood works on 5 February.
Meanwhile, powerful waves continued to thrash the exposed coastline railway line at Dawlish and slightly damaged Dawlish station itself. A wave measuring more than was recorded off the coast of Penzance. A flood buoy near Penzance triggered a reading of at 3 am.
A Department for Transport source said that the "most pressing issue" was to get the line up and running as soon as possible, "but equally it is clear it is important we look at the long term as well." Lib Dem MP for Torbay, Adrian Sanders, said the loss of the main line was "a disaster" and called on the Transport Secretary to intervene.
A landslip on the West of England Main Line at Crewkerne, Somerset cut off the final link to Exeter on 8 February, Repairs were initially expected to take a week, but an inspection found the track was safe for slow moving trains. The line re-opened and a limited service was restored on 9 February after signalling problems were resolved. The alternative route along the Bristol to Exeter line was under water on the Somerset Levels, with trains unable to travel between Taunton and Bridgwater.

Inland flooding

The total number of properties flooded was less than in the 2007 United Kingdom floods. Effects more similar to the Autumn 2000 western Europe floods. During this flood there were more than 200,000 sand-bags used throughout the country.

Severn catchment

Flooding on the middle and lower reaches of the River Severn were similar in magnitude to those experienced during the 2007 United Kingdom floods.

Somerset Levels

The 2012 Great Britain and Ireland floods had brought severe flooding to the Somerset Levels. During December 2013 and January 2014 heavy rainfall led to extensive flooding on the Somerset Levels with over 600 houses and of agricultural land, including North Moor, Curry and Hay Moors and Greylake, affected. The village of Thorney was abandoned and Muchelney cut off. Northmoor Green, which is more commonly known as Moorland was also severely affected. It was said that the government had not been quick enough to react and provide assistance to flooded communities. Flood relief activities included the use of rescue boats and the army. High volume pumps were brought in from the Netherlands and installed at several points to try to relieve the flooding. Prince Charles and several senior politicians visited the area.
Controversy arose about the role of the Environment Agency, with claims that the need for ongoing dredging of the main rivers had been neglected. However, , Professor of Water Management at Cardiff University, and other hydrologists made clear that dredging does not offer a useful solution to flooding on the Somerset Levels.

Surrey and Kent

A stormy period from the 23–27 December 2013 brought heavy rainfall to southern England, especially in a swathe from Dorset through Hampshire, Surrey and Kent. The first storm brought travel disruptions, especially as the flooding affecting Yalding and the electrical substations at Gatwick Airport leaving the northern terminal without power on Christmas Eve.
After Cyclone Dirk on Christmas Day, saturated ground led to localised flooding in southern England, as the storm brought up to 60mm of rain to the UK. A major incident was declared in the region of Leatherhead and Dorking with Fire Brigade unions calling off a planned strike in Surrey and Kent. An Environment Agency spokesman said flooding in Kent and Sussex were the worst to hit the area since Autumn 2000.

Thames Valley

There was some criticism of the Jubilee River designed to protect Maidenhead, by residents in Wraysbury and Datchet who blamed the scheme for increasing flooding downstream. In February 2014, the River Ash caused flooding in homes in Staines-upon-Thames. This flooding was exacerbated by a two-day delay by Surrey County Council's 'Gold Control' flood control group in ordering Thames Water to close a sluice gate on a Thames Water aqueduct. Thames Water considered it had been following an existing protocol agreed with Surrey County Council and the Environment Agency. Many were evacuated from their homes and the army were giving out free sandbags to Wraysbury victims. In Datchet, Princes William and Harry were seen helping out with defences at a local private school after its pupils were forced to relocate for months at a nearby hotel.