"Alan White" wrote in message
news
On Sat, 4 Aug 2007 08:15:42 +0100, "Alan Murphy"
wrote:

The Severn Valley usually floods because of rain
water moving downstream from Wales. What made
this event so unusual was that the flood water
originated locally due to prolonged torrential rain
over the Cotswolds, far exceeding the amount that
eventually makes it's way through Shrewsbury,
Bridgnorth, Worcester, Bewdley, etc. It was an
unusual and extraordinary event comparable to
Lynton/Lynmouth and Boscastle, although thankfully
not on the scale of the fatalities.

I remember reports of flooding in the headwaters of the Severn
(Welshpool?) which were largely ignored by the media. However, the media
did make the point on numerous occasions that the Severn was rising as
floodwater moved downstream from 'the Welsh mountains'. It was this,
coupled with the torrential rain over the Cotswolds, that exacerbated
the scale of the flooding.

I wouldn't compare it, either, to Lynton/Lynmouth and Boscastle.
Meteorologically the two events were quite dissimilar as were the
effects.

--
Alan White

You may well be right, but could you expand your
reasoning on this. I feel that the events are similar in
the sense that torrential rain fell over an unusually long
period in all cases and exceeded the capacity of the
local geography to cope.

Alan