The 1947 floodmark is still visible on a street in Windsor beside the Thames. I didn't think I would live to see such a flood as then, but now I'm not so sure. (Windsor is west of London.)
Yesterday, I had to cross the flood (at about 6" deep there) to collect someone from southern Gloucestershire, the obvious motorway route advertising to avoid a certain section of motorway, which would have been on my route of first choice (M5). What impressed me was that the warnings were so close to my home town, at least fifty miles away ... my point being, I can't remember [i]such[/i] foresight by those repsonible for those matrix signs. I mean, what it communicated to me was ... they [i] really[/i] don't want any more people getting stranded by floodwater if they can avoid it.... this is [i]serious[/i]. As it was, I had gone out slightly equipped for trouble, but actually had a very easy journey and praised the Lord for it. He had laid on my heart the route I should take, where I drove through only one shallow stretch of water.
The person I collected had, the previous evening, been driven through two feet of water which had gathered in a road they had used on their outward journey, in the couple of hours they had been out.
There is a natural rise and fall even on rivers a long way from the sea. This is what makes the outcome of these overfull rivers so very uncertain. The centre of Gloucester came to only 2" from overflowing during last night.
I was interested also, to pass a place called Thameshead. This connects Gloucestershire with London more directly, perhaps.
adamdawkins said
What's interesting is we've got the floods, but not in London
Brother,
But the Thames is close to breaking its banks in Berkshire. People have been given time off work to lay sandbags.
There is another geological change of which you may not be aware - that the water table under London has been rising for at least twenty years. Many buildings have had to install pumps to keep their basements dry, from the local artesian wells. This rise (I think it is about 12 feet now) will make some difference to how London copes if the Thames overflows [i]there[/i].
I am just listening to a news report telling us that the Thames is flooding in the western side of Oxford city centre and they are losing electricity.
The weather for the next few days includes more rain, particularly on Wednesday and Thursday.