The Environment Agency issue Flood Warnings for the Thames area here:
Thames Flood Warnings Status
What the different warnings mean
Thames Flood Warnings Status
What the different warnings mean
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The Royal Windsor Forum |
Flood Warnings Latest
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 thamesweb |
Flood Warnings Latest |
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Posts: 1633 (07/21/07 11:26:24) |
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thamesweb |
Re: Flood Warnings - Latest | ||
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Posts: 1633 (07/23/07 06:16:12) |
Subject: Possible Severe Flood Warning
River Thames from Victoria Bridge, Windsor to Bell Weir Lock, including Datchet, Old Windsor and Wraysbury The Environment Agency has informed Cllr Colin Rayner that it expects to replace the Flood Watch warning issued this pm (Monday 23rd) with a Severe Flood Warning for Tuesday/Wednesday. We suggest you take appropriate preventative action and check the EA website here - Environment Agency page for River Thames Colin has Sandbags available at Berkyn Manor Farm, Stanwell Road, Horton, SL3 9PE. 017778 547542 and 01753 685480 Please pass this message on. |
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thamesweb |
Re: Flood Warnings - Latest (Tuesday pm) | ||
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Posts: 1633 (07/24/07 09:05:25) |
Judging by events upstream it seems that the surge making its way towards us may not be as dramatic as had earlier been feared.
It has been reported that flood levels downstream of Windsor may not be as high as in 2003... we shall see. Nevertheless, be prepared. Thanks to the Jubilee River, Thames reaches between Maidenhead and Windsor are not even the subject of a Flood Watch and are, as of Tuesday 24th, All Clear. Sorry to dump our share on you Wraysbury... |
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PartyPooper3 |
Re: Flood Warnings - Latest (Tuesday pm) | ||
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Posts: 11 (07/25/07 12:38:49) |
The events of the last week... with the Jubilee River successfully carrying vast amounts of water safely downstream past Wraybury towards the sea... must surely show that the Jubilee River has been a resounding success, giving the environment agency more options to avoid serious flooding from a surge hitting London later in the week. The floodplain around Windsor and Maidenhead is the last major defence to save the capital from serious flooding, and we should be grateful that the scheme is working so well and that the threat to London has been contained.
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thamesweb |
Re: Flood Warnings - Latest (Tuesday pm) | ||
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Posts: 1633 (07/26/07 14:51:11) |
Not quite sure why you posted the above. Please explain what you mean by surge 'hitting London'? Are you honestly suggesting that holding water back in the Maidenhead/Windsor flood plain would prevent a flood in the capital?? Or that by sending flood water around the two towns via the Relief Channel somewhow endangers London?
That said, once the valley is full, the valley is full, and you can dig as many trenches in the ground as you like, they will all fill up with water. Take a look at how badly off Windsor was in Victorian times when flooding in the lower levels, the flood plain, was almost as regular as clockwork. It is only the major developments in flow management that have reduced serious flooding to the rare event it now is - oh, and building on the flood plain. 90% of the houses we see flooded these days are all new. There is one way to discourage building on areas liable to flood. Don't buy the houses, but if you do, understand that every so often you will get your feet wet. Gloucester and Tewksbury were 1 in 60 year floods. Hey look, when was '47?? |
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PartyPooper3 |
Re: Flood Warnings - Latest (Tuesday pm) | ||
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Posts: 11 (07/27/07 13:39:45) |
Clearly the capacity of the upstream floodplains is relevant. In an extreme example, if a 100m wall were built across the Thames at Windsor, and a constant flow maintained in the Thames below, then London would have very high protection from the Thames flooding.
The worst scenario for the lower Thames (Windsor, Wraysbury, Staines) is for there to be a 'surge' coming down the Thames from Oxford/Abingdon at the same time as 1) the lower Thames flood plain already being saturated/flooded and 2) there being more recent rain creating surges along the Kennett, Lodden, Thame and 'The Cut'. There were elements of this in 1947: heavy rain on March 10th filling the upper Thames, then thawing snows and heavy rain on March 14th filling rivers in the lower Thames. On this occasion (in 2007), the flooding might be compared to one of those champagne fountains. The Thames valley was filling up at the top where the very heavy rainfall was, but there were enough empty glasses at the bottom to avoid flooding. Windsor and Wraysbury were fortunate that, by the time the upper Thames 'surge' arrived, the Kennett, Lodden, Thame and 'The Cut' were no longer on flood warning, and the floodplain around Windsor and Maidenhead had not become saturated, either from floodwater or fresh rainfall. |
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