Storm Event
Source
High westerly gale caused the tide at Town Quay, Southampton to rise to a height of 15 ft 10 inches at 2:15 am – the predicted height was 14 ft 3.5 inches (Ruocco, 2009).
Pathway
No known sources of information.
Receptor and Consequence
This event was associated with coastal flooding and erosion at several locations in and around the Solent, Hampshire including Milford, Keyhaven, Bournemouth, Southampton and Cowes (Ruocco et al., 2011). In Milford-on-sea, 20 ft of coastal cliff was eroded by the sea. Groynes, built in the spring of the previous year, were destroyed on Keyhaven beach and the sea wall beneath Netley Castle was damaged, with huge chuncks of stonework left littering the beach (Ruocco, 2009). Non-residential properties were flooded in Cowes, Isle of Wight where the sea inundated the high street. In Bournemouth, around 300 beach huts were destroyed, whilst in Keyhaven residential properties nearly 0.5 miles [0.8 km] from the shore were left at risk of flooding. In Woolston, Southampton residents were photographed using rowing boats along local roads. The rough seas resulted in a ‘graveyard’ of shipping in Southampton Water after this event, with several vessels having blown ashore.
Summary Table
| Loss of life | * |
| Residential property | Properties half a mile inland were at risk of flooding in Keyhaven; 300 beach huts destroyed in Bournemouth |
| Evacuation & Rescue | * |
| Cost | * |
| Ports | * |
| Transport | Roads were flooded to such an extent that residents were using rowing boats in the streets of Southampton; Cowes’ High Street was inundated |
| Energy | * |
| Public services | * |
| Water & wastewater | * |
| Livestock | * |
| Agricultural land | * |
| Coastal erosion | 20 ft of cliff eaten away by waves |
| Natural environment | * |
| Cultural heritage | * |
| Coastal defences | Sea wall severely damaged under Netley Castle; groynes destroyed on Keyhaven beach |
*No known sources of information available
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References
- Ruocco, A. (2009). Reconstructing Coastal Flood Occurrence in the Solent since 1935 using Historical Database. Southampton MSc Dissertation.
- Ruocco, A. Nicholls, R. J., Haigh, I. D., and Wadey, M. (2011). ‘Reconstructing Coastal Flood Occurrence Combining Sea Level and Media Sources: A case study of the Solent UK since 1935’. Natural Hazards, 59(3): 1773-1796. Available at: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11069-011-9868-7 (Accessed: 27 March 2015).