Spring Tides and Autumn Storms

There are high tides this weekend from Friday evening (25 October), with 4m + tides for the remainder of the week. In addition stormy weather is forecast, in particular for this Friday and Saturday. However, barometric pressure remains relatively high and the winds are mainly from a westerly direction, backing northerly as we come into Sunday and Monday.

Therefore our assessment at the moment is that the risk of flooding along the river front in Topsham remains LOW. However residents must take their own decisions regarding deployment of flood defences.

High Tides Monday 30th September 2019

This Monday, 30 September, sees the highest tide of the year at 4.6m, at 9pm that evening. There is also a high tide in the morning, 4.4m. 

Our judgement is that despite the high tides, rain and stormy weather, the risk of serious flooding along the river front is LOW. The wind is largely coming out of the west, before turning northerly later in the week, and barometric pressure remains relatively high. The river is likely to over-top the surround in the usual places, but not encroach properties.

Given that the tides are very high, we will keep the sandbag store, located in the corner of the Matthews Hall car park, open during Monday, should any residents wish to fortify their defences. Also deployment of flood defences is down to individual discretion.

Topsham Emergency Group.

Exercise Floodboard II to take place Thursday 26th September

Residents along the River Exe frontage, ie Ferry Rd, the Strand and Riversmeet will remember the storms of early 2014, when over 40 properties were flooded. Since then, many of those in the most vulnerable locations have invested in flood defences, usually some form of boarding to protect their property. Well, time moves on, although we have not had a serious flood incident since 2014, there have been a number of close calls, leading the Emergency Group to believe that it is a matter of when, not if, that flooding happens again.

In 2015, the Emergency Group led an exercise to test deployment of flood defences, and now in 2019 we would like to do this again. The 2015 exercise established that around 50% of properties were protected from floods, one of the objectives of the exercise will be to see by how much this proportion has increased? We are always looking to increase the number of houses that need property protection so advice and guidance will be available.

The selected date is Thursday 26th September, just in advance of a week of high tides, including the highest tides of the year, 4.6m, due on both the Sunday and Monday evenings. If there is any threat of flooding, then residents will be encouraged to leave their defences in place. The exercise will act as a timely reminder for residents to consider their flood defence arrangements, and to allow practice to find (!) and assemble their defences in slow time.

Topsham has a number of trained Flood Wardens, they will be on hand to encourage residents to put up their own flood defences, giving assistance when needed. The exercise is scheduled for between 5 – 6pm. It will be a good test of our readiness to respond locally to an emergency flood situation.

We have made good progress with installing property level protection in the 5 years since 2014. We are now looking closely at the possibility of flood barriers to protect community interests at strategic locations along the Strand and Ferry Rd as a ‘front line’ of protection. We are conducting this work along side Exeter City Council and the Environment Agency and are hoping to have sufficient progress to have an ‘open evening’ to discuss options later in the Autumn.

Weather 7/8 February 2019

For the next 24-36 hours (from midday Thursday) the forecast is for the weather to turn very windy on Friday morning, with gales and heavy rain continuing into the afternoon, gradually easing from the west followed by blustery showers.

With a 3.9m tide at 08.45 am, reducing to 3.6m later in the day, there is scope for some over-topping along the riverfront, however with winds predominantly from the SW we do not anticipate any significant flooding.

If Residents are in anyway worried they should err on the side of caution and deploy flood defences, but we do not expect to call out the Flood Wardens.

Topsham Emergency Group

Autumn storms Friday 9 November

Further to the note published yesterday, Exeter City Council have put out sandbags for public use in the usual places, ie Topsham Quay and by the gateway to Topsham Rec opposite the cottages.

More Autumn Storms on their way

Its windy and rainfall totals are building and the tides, whilst not at peak level, are over 4m for the next few days through to the weekend. At this stage, however, we do not see a requirement to deploy flood defences as the risk of significant flooding remains low.

With winter now just about upon us, it is important that Residents along the riverfront are able to deploy flood defences as required. therefore we are proposing that, around the time of the next set of Spring tides, due towards the end of November, we run a ‘test’ deployment of flood defences. This will also allow our Flood Wardens to practice their role, which includes helping those not so able to deploy their flood defences.

More information about this planned exercise will be circulated to Residents in a week or so.

Storm Callun arrives tomorrow

The forecast for the next few days is for periods of heavy rain and a strong southerly wind, particularly on Friday, when there will be gusts up to 50 mph. Whilst the storm will undoubtedly hit coastal areas hard, with so little recent rain, water levels in the estuary are low at present even with  tides of over 4 metres.

At the moment we do not see the need to deploy flood defences as the risk of significant flooding is low, but householders should make their own judgement in this matter - those most exposed to the strong southerly winds may wish err on the side of caution and put up their barriers.

Exeter City Council have provided sandbags, available at the usual pick up points at Topsham Rec and the Quay (also at the Sandbag store in the Matthews Hall car park). 

Topsham Emergency Group