Flooding disrupts Yorkshire road and rail

A little under two weeks since Yorkshire last suffered significant flooding, heavy rain has once again brought disruption to the county's road and rail network. Rail services have been disrupted between Sheffield and Leeds, with flooding in the Outwood area of Doncaster causing delays. On the Calderdale route between Leeds and Manchester, flooding near Walsden has led to the introduction of a replacement bus service to shuttle passengers between stations.

A number of roads have also been affected by flooding, with the Rotherham Advertiser reporting that Station Road in Wath has been closed, and also listing a number of other routes that have been closed or disrupted by flash flooding, including the A630 at a number of locations. As of 17:55, the Environment Agency had issued 36 flood warnings for its Northeast region which includes Yorkshire. Currently, much of the county - South Yorkshire in particular - is enjoying a respite from the rain, and the worst for many may be over for today, although parts of North Yorkshire appear set to endure more heavy rain this evening. The focus of flooding concern now switches to the West Country, which looks set to bear the brunt of the rainfall this evening and overnight. Some thunderstorms are expected across Yorkshire tomorrow, and more rain for all is forecast for the coming the week. When will it stop? The Met Office long-term forecast is equivocal, offering no opinion as to whether the latter part of the month and the remainder of the summer will bring more of the same, or some much-needed dry weather and warmth.

To date, the flooding has not been as bad as during the summer of 2007, and hopefully it will stay that way. Residents of Mytholmroyd and Hebden Bridge will certainly be anxious to avoid a repeat of their recent experience of flooding, but will the rain abate in time?

Flood Warnings swamp West Yorkshire

Yesterday, it was the turn of the North to bear the brunt of June’s inclement weather, with up to 100mm of rain falling in northwest England bringing about flooding in Oldham and Wigan. As of 08:05 this morning, the Environment Agency had 49 flood alerts in place for Northeast England (encompassing Yorkshire) and 46 for its Northwest district. Most of the warnings for the Northeast were concentrated in West Yorkshire, with the River Calder alone possessing 29 flood alerts, the River Spen 4 and the Aire 3. Thus far, Calder Valley has thus experienced the worst of the flooding, with both Mytholmroyd and Todmorden hit. A number of properties in the centre of Brighouse also suffered from the effects of the rising waters in the early hours of this morning.

The BBC reports that rail services between Leeds and Manchester on the Calder Valley route have been suspended, and that services between Leeds and Wakefield have been affected. There appears to be a lull in the rain in the area currently, although more is forecast. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for the Northwest and parts of West and North Yorkshire until 9.00 Sunday morning. However, the forecast thereafter for the next few days suggests that the area could eventually enjoy some respite from the deluge. When will summer finally arrive? One week in May makes for a pretty miserable season.

In recent years, we seem to have veered between extended periods of rain, drought, cold and warmth, with the unusual position of the jet stream being blamed. Some theories attribute this to weakness in solar activity, others to a warming Arctic and a consequent decrease in temperature differentials in the Northern Hemisphere, expressed in a more sluggish jet stream prone to get stuck in a particular position for longer. More on these speculations can be viewed here.