Wednesday
29th January, 2003 - 09:00 GMT
Why did the East Coast Floods happen? |
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| Prefabs
@ Felixstowe (pic - Jean and Bryan Lake) |
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What
changes in the climate and sea levels caused the East Coast Floods
of 1953 to take place? |
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- The
North Sea, between Britain and northern Europe has a long history
of flood disasters
- combined effects of storm surge and high tides
- tide of 31 Jan 1953 was a full moon spring tide, approaching
the equinox
- tide rose higher than expected because of atmospheric pressure
and wind
- intense depression moving from the Atlantic, turning south
east to the North Sea
- one of the most violent and prolonged northerly gales in British
meteorological history
- tidal surge developed and moved down east coast
- tide 8-9 ft above predicted levels - intensity of depression
sucks the sea to its centre
- surge of 31 Jan 1953 took 11 hours to travel from Aberdeen to
the Thames estuary, building progressively
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| Junction
of Tacon Rd and Langer Rd, Felixstowe (pic - Derek Swann) |
| TIDAL
SURGE (info from Met Office) |
- caused
by action of wind on surface of sea, with barometric pressure
a secondary factor
- pressure decreases by one millibar, the sea level rises by
1 cm
- the effect of a strong wind coupled with very low barometric
pressure can raise sea level in Eastern England by more than two
metres
- strong winds that create surges also generate large waves
- greatest surge on record for North Sea was night of 31 Jan/1st
Feb 1953
- in Eastern England 100,000 hectares were flooded and 307 people
died
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