The onset of the UK’s stormy season

by Sebastian Pitman

SurgeWatch now has a record of 292 coastal flooding events that have affected the UK, and that number is increasing thanks in part to your contributions! The end of August marks the onset of the coastal flooding season – of 292 recorded events, 91 % occur between the months of September and March.

One such event in recent memory was the 1992 floods that affected Cornwall and Dorset. This event was associated with coastal flooding along parts of the south coast, including many locations in the county of Cornwall (Cornwall Council, 2011), as a result of the combination of high tides and severe storms. Affected locations in Cornwall over the last week of August 1992 included Wadebridge, Hayle and Lelant, Newlyn, Penzance and Long Rock, Helston, Falmouth and Penryn, Perranarworthal, Truro, Pentewan, Bugle, St Blazey and Tywardreath, the Glyn Valley and East Taphouse (Cornwall Council, 2011; (Haigh et al., 2015)).

As we move through the season, SurgeWatch hopes to highlight the effect of historic floods in an ‘On this day’ format – so keep an eye on our blog!