Torrential Rains, Massive Ocean Waves Swamp Cornish Towns

[hatrack]

"As many as a 1,000 people were stranded in north Cornwall last night as torrential storms triggered a devastating deluge of flooding, causing a 10 foot wall of sea to wash over a village.

There were scenes of chaos across the picturesque Cornish enclaves of Boscastle, Tintagel and Camelford as heavy rainfall caused flooding of depths of up to 10 feet. Seven helicopters worked through the night to airlift an estimated 150 people to safety across north Cornwall, while at least three people were feared missing. The hub of the damage was in Boscastle, one of the oldest fishing ports in Cornwall.

It was here that a 10ft wall of sea poured over the harbour and into narrow streets of the village, trapping 60 people in their homes, washing 50 vehicles out to sea and causing at least six buildings to collapse. Parts of Bude were also reported to be under six foot of seawater, in the worst cases of flooding witnessed in half a century.

EDIT

Yesterday's emergency began just before 4pm, after more than two inches of rain fell around Boscastle in two hours. The river Valancy burst its banks, and part of the main A39 road was closed, with some areas flooded by water 10 feet deep. Dozens of vehicles were washed into the harbour of the picturesque village. Wayne Grundy, a holidaymaker, told Sky News that he saw parked cars washed out to sea. "Cars started coming down the high street and then out to sea. I saw a caravan and two cars washed over the top of a bridge." Mr Grundy told how he saw people climbing into windows to escape the rising water. "The bed-and-breakfast and tea shop just filled with water. One minute they were ankle deep and the next they were up to their chests trying to climb out of windows to escape the wash."

EDIT

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/environment/story.jsp?story=552326

[Dogmudgeon]

1. Hmm ...

Time for the UK Met to check in on the North Atlantic currents. At last report, they had become so freshened by Greenland icemelt water that they were barely flowing.

--bkl

[fedsron2us]

2. This has more to do with the topography of Cornwall and Devon

than global warming. Bocastle lies in a deep valley where three rivers meet. It is surrounded by high ground. Any heavy rain on the neighbouring hills is channeled through the village and can easily cause a flash flood. In this instance it is estimated that a series of thunderstorms dropped over two inches of rain in an hour. This is heavy precipitation for the UK but not exceptional by world standards. A similar event devastated the village of Lynmouth in North Devon in 1952 when 24 people were killed

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/16/newsid_2960000/2960180.stm