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Background
Summary
Following sections of the website provide a summary, categorised by each extreme weather type, of the effects that these events have had across the region between 2000 and early 2008. Additionally, under each extreme weather type, further details of particular events can be obtained if required.
| Further Details | Heatwaves Summary In 2002, there was a heatwave that occurred in July. The 19th of July 2002 was expected to be the hottest day ever recorded in July. The hot weather caused the earth and the grass to dry out across the region and, because of this, fire risk warnings had to be put in place across the North York Moors, where conditions were described as being similar to a tinderbox because of the lack of rainfall. The heatwave lead to a huge blaze occurring near Ruswarp and Whitby. The moorland across Nidderdale and around Masham and Jervaulx was also in extremely bad condition. The highest temperature recorded in Yorkshire was 32°C in Linton-on-Ouse. All hotspots at risk of fires had to be damped down with water that was ferried in, as any moor fires that broke out would have devastating effects on the countryside and its wildlife. In 2003 the high temperatures that started in April continued until September culminating in Heatwave conditions. In April, a blaze swept through the Pennine moorlands for about 2 square miles, near Marsden, west of Huddersfield. The National Trust fire service had to put the blaze out and helicopters were needed to drop water bombs on the affected area. The blaze was probably caused by a discarded cigarette in tinderbox conditions. Moorland at Osmotherley, near Northallerton, and Dalby Forest on the North York Moors also caught fire and grass fires in and around Leeds kept fire fighters busy, who received thirty calls out. Cookridge fire fighters were called out five times, Stanks fire fighters were called out four times, Gipton fire fighters were called out five times, Rothwell were called out five times, Hunslet fire fighters were called out six times and Stanningley and Morley fire fighters were called out twice each. At one point, the temperature reached 37.2°, with temperatures rivalling those of Cyprus, Italy, Greece, Spain, Bermuda, Rio de Janerio and the Costa Blanca. At one point it was estimated that 18 million tourists took to the roads with the A64 to York and the A170 in Pickering being exceptionally busy. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs forewarned that the heatwave conditions were causing smog which could lead to serious health problems. The smog was caused by an increased concentration of ozone, created by the reaction between the sunshine and the pollutants from car exhausts and other fuel emissions. As well as this,warnings were placed telling people not to swim in the rivers because of their strong currents. A 17 year old boy died because he was swimming in the Aldwarke Lock just off the River Don in Rotherham. The boy was trying to cool off as the temperature at the time had been 32°C but he had ended up drowning. Travelling was also proving to be a problem. The M6 in the Midlands had to be closed as there were fears that the road was melting. Train services were also having problems as speed restrictions had been imposed by Network Rail. Virgin and Silverlink trains had halved there services and trains went from running twice an hour to once every hour. The Leeds to Kings Cross service was cancelled all together. The weather was also having a knock on effect on animals and people. People were told to wear sunblock, drink lots of water and avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks. The very young and the elderly were the most at risk, and people were warned about the effects of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Animals were also suffering and many dogs were in danger of being stressed by the heat. The RSPCA was flooded with calls about tethered horses struggling in the heat and other animals that were having a hard time. As well as this, near the end of the heatwave in September, more blazes broke out across the moors between Scarborough and Whitby and also just off the A631 near Bawtry. They were two of several fires in the region and traffic had to be diverted to avoid the fires. In 2005 high temperatures started in June and carried on until September, culminating in Heatwave conditions. Near the end of June the heat proved to be a big problem when an East Coast Main Line train broke down after a power failure. Passengers were trapped in the carriages and the temperatures inside had risen to 46°C. The passengers eventually had to break the windows and climb out, after being trapped inside for 2 hours. Police had to use a helicopter to ferry supplies and paramedics to the passengers and dozens of passengers were feeling unwell or had fainted because of the heat. There were some problems with driving conditions as well. There were delays on the A59 and A1 and a police buffer had to be deployed on the A1 to deal with the congestion. There were other major problems when a 10 year old girl drowned while paddling in the River Swale in Catterick, an 18 year old boy drowned in Manvers Lake in Wath-upon-Dearne and two 15 year old boys drowned in Waterloo Lake at Roundhay Park in Leeds. All of them had been trying to cool off from the heat. The heatwave of 2005 also caused a massive fire to occur on the moorland in Madgin Lane, South Crossland above Huddersfield. Around 800 square metres of moorland was alight and more than 15 appliances and 70 fire fighters were needed from nearly all the Calderdale and Kirklees Fire Stations to deal with it. A Special Incident Support Unit, a Control Unit and a Hose Laying Unit each with their own pumping engines were sent to the scene. It took about 24 hours to completely put the blaze out. When the heatwave finally ended at the beginning of September, it gave way to torrential rain, gale force winds and flash floods. 2006 also experienced high temperatures that lasted from June until September and once again included Heatwave conditions. At one point temperatures soared above 30°C causing roads to start to melt. The heatwave put the health providers on a Level 3 Heat Alert. Throughout the heatwave there was a large number of fires that broke out. The heatwave dried the grass and land creating tinder-like conditions. A lot of the fires were caused by people dropping cigarette butts on the grass or they were caused by children playing with matches or discarded bottles. Over 300 grass fires occurred in July. In Easingwold a corn field was set alight with flames reaching 30 feet in height. Between 9am and 4pm on one day around 300 grass fires occurred in West Yorkshire and dozens more took place in the evening and overnight. In North Yorkshire fire crews were damping down the moors as a fire, which lasted 3 days, had occurred in the North York Moors. There were moor fires near Keighley and also fires around Ilkley and Baildon. At Cookridge fires burnt in the quarry at West Park. It took about an hour to put the fire out. There was also a smaller fire in the woods at the bottom of Butcher Road in Horsforth. Gipton Fire Station was the busiest in West Yorkshire. There was an extremely large fire near an ASDA at Killing Beck. Rothwell fire crews were also suffering as they had to deal with many grass fires overnight. One of the more serious fires took place next to the M62 motorway at junction 30. Moortown, Stanningley, Morley and Rawdon all also faced multiple callouts. The worst fire that occurred though was probably the ones on the Moors near Whitby on the weekend of July 15th and July 16th. Fire fighters from all across North Yorkshire and Whitby had to be mobilised as 66 hectares from Robin Hood’s Bay to Ruswarp and across Sneaton were all destroyed. The occurrence of moor fires also took place in August and wildlife on the moorland had to struggle to keep away from the moorland fires. Ilkley Moor, which is home to Grouse, Snipe, Curlew and Pheasants, was the worst hit by the fires. The 2006 heatwave was making it difficult for a lot of people. There was a sharp rise in A & E visits at Leeds General Infirmary and St James’ Hospital as well as St George’s Walk-In centre. In fact hospital visits had risen 20% since the start of the heatwave. People with non-urgent injuries and illnesses were urged to stay away from casualty to allow medics to deal with heat related cases unhindered. Those with chronic illnesses such as heart disease or diabetes were most at risk from suffering heat related illnesses. Children under the age of 4 and the elderly were also highly vulnerable and less able to counteract the affects of the heat. Many people admitted to hospital were suffering from respiratory problems, which is an early sign of heat exhaustion. They were warned of the other signs of heat exhaustion, which included headaches, nausea, intense thirst, sleepiness, hot red or dry skin, a sudden rise in temperature, confusion, aggression, convulsions and loss of consciousness. People were warned that if heat exhaustion went untreated it would eventually lead to heat stroke, which can result in irreversible damage to the body and even death. Overheating could also cause muscle cramps, weakness and disturbed sleep. To avoid heat exhaustion people were told to take cool baths or showers, wash themselves with cold water, drink lots of water or juice and avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks. The hottest part of the day was between 11am and 3pm and people were advised to avoid playing sports outdoors or undertaking strenuous activity between those times. The NHS also advised parents to keep their babies out of the sun, apply high factor sun cream to their babies’ skin, give the baby plenty of cooled boiled water throughout the day and night. Many people tried to get some relief from the heat by swimming in local rivers and lakes. The previous year people had done the same thing and there had been a number of deaths from drowning. Wakefield Council told residents that the deeper they swam out the colder the water would get and they were at risk of being trapped in tangled weeds and rubbish which could lead to them drowning. The advised thing was to avoid swimming in lakes, rivers and quarries. Usually Britons find themselves going abroad to sunny plains, but during the summer of 2006 the temperatures rivalled those of Athens, Bermuda and Rome. A lot of people were actually going abroad to escape the heat across Britain. People were not the only ones suffering. The RSPCA had received 3 times as many complaints about dogs left alone in the heatwave. They advised people to use sun cream on their pets and avoid leaving dogs locked in cars or anywhere without shade and water. Fish were also suffering and 10,000 fish including Bream, Carp, Perch, Pike, Roach and Eels died in Kettlethorpe Lake in Wakefield with thousands more dying across the rest of England. The rise in temperature caused an increase in the growth of algae which was exhausting the supply of dissolved oxygen in the water. This meant the fish were suffocating to death. The fish that were struggling could be seen staying in one place near the surface of the water, gasping for air or swimming slowly in large groups. Desperate efforts were under way to re-oxygenate the lake and others like it. The heatwave also caused several water mains to burst in Acomb, York. There was a power cut at 5am on the 19th of July, which caused the telemetry system that operated the water mains to believe there was a water shortage. This caused them to pump more water into the town to compensate, which caused a build up of pressure and caused 11 water mains to burst. This left 3 houses flooded and thousands of other homes with reduced water pressure. Westfield Community Primary School had to be closed and those affected by the burst mains were supplied with bottled water. Around 500 properties were affected and it was a dangerous situation to be in considering the temperature levels were so high. Scarcroft Primary School, in York, and had to close early because of the heat and Cross Lane Primary School, in Elland, in Leeds, had to cancel its sports day because of the heat. Travel conditions were also made difficult when roads across the country were at risk of melting. In total 13 gritting machines had to be sent out across North Yorkshire to Richmond, Thirsk, Kirbymoorside, Skipton, Selby and Starbeck near Harrogate to stop the roads from melting. The heatwave ended in September with temperatures of about 28°C.
| Further Details | Floods, Storms & Lightning Summary In 2000 the Yorkshire and Humber region suffered heavy storms and floods in November. Severe flood warnings were issued throughout North Yorkshire and it was said that York was hit by the worst flood in 100 years. Parts of the £8 million flood defences in York were breached as the River Ouse water levels increased considerably due to the torrential rain that fell over North Yorkshire and flooded the land either side of the river upto a mile wide. Soldiers had to be on standby to issue sandbags throughout the day as the River Ouse peaked. The sandbags were used to try and prevent the streets from flooding and stop the millions of gallons of murky water from swamping York’s residential areas. 170 of York’s businesses had been at risk with the restaurants and pubs being left the worst off. In York, about 6,000 people were at risk and were told to leave their homes. 3,000 of the homes were actually cleared with many residents being forced to stay in makeshift evacuation centres. Leeman Road, North Street and Armoury Terrace were the worst affected and evacuation centres were setup in Archbishop Hallgate School and the city’s Technical College. Rescue crews were made up of police, soldiers and fire fighters and Army Snowcat vehicles were used to help ferry children from Fulford St Oswald’s Primary school. Other areas of North Yorkshire suffered particularly badly as well. Residents in Naburn were left marooned when power supplies were cut off and the residents were forced to take refuge in the Village Hall. The village of Cawood also had problems and the whole village had to evacuated and given temporary accommodation in Selby. Farmers throughout North Yorkshire also suffered badly as their crops were covered by flood water. The potato, sugar beet, wheat and barley crops were particularly affected, as harvesting had been behind schedule because of all the wet weather. Roads across the whole of the region had become impassable and the A1 had to be closed in both directions at Catterick. GNER trains south were also stopped at York because of the flooding in Skelton. All bus services except for the absolutely essential ones were cancelled. The 2000 floods were so bad they were said to have been on the same scale as the March floods 53 years ago when 700,000 acres of land was submerged. In 2001 floods occurred in June and an extremely bad storm occurred in August. The June floods occurred when a freak ice storm, which lasted half an hour, hit the village of Kirkby Fleetham near Northallerton. Roads and homes quickly flooded as drains could not cope with the sheer volume of the water that had fallen in such a short time. Manhole covers were dislodged and shrubs and trees were decimated. The storm in August occurred in Richmond and the only big problem occurred at Richmond Swimming Pool when a torrent of rain water burst through the roof. The deluge created a waterfall that flooded the pool and catering area causing the power to be switched off and the pool to be evacuated. In 2002 problems arose in February, June, July and August. In February flood warnings were placed on the River Swale, down to Catterick village, and the River Ouse and River Derwent. Three road traffic accidents occurred in York because of the adverse weather. The flood that carried through the summer was a lot worse. Storms overwhelmed the drainage system as thousands of gallons of water rapidly flooded into the rivers and streams of the region. Flood watches were issued throughout Swaledale, Wensleydale, and the Vale of York and the standing water between Darlington and York caused major problems with the train services. Numerous roads were blocked by the water and fire crews were deployed to deal with the emergency calls and assist with the blocked roads. The worst hit area was Skipton. Northallerton also suffered and the children’s ward in the Friarage Hospital had to be evacuated as it was flooded from the car park. Dozens of homes had to be evacuated and more were left without power. Severe flood warnings were placed on the River Ure and Pickering Beck when water levels peaked at 1.2m above normal levels. A campsite in Pickering flooded and lead to 60 people having to be temporarily housed at Lady Lumleys School. The local bus to Scarborough also had to be pulled to safety by a tractor when it got stuck in Pickering’s town centre. Sinnington also had a lot of trouble when flood waters rapidly rose around homes. The residents were forced to bale the flood water out of their homes and make up a pile of sandbags to prevent the water from causing any further damage. The Cod Beck in Thirsk also threatened to burst its banks and rest centres were set up in preparation of such an evenuality. Transport systems were very affected by the floods. The A19 had to be completely closed and the A171 Whitby to Guisborough was barely passable. Train routes were affected by the bad weather and the East Coast Mainline particularly suffered. The Leeds-Harrogate-York train service suffered the most and had to remain closed for 5 hours at one point. By the end of the first week of August the flood warnings had halved from 34 to 17. The water levels were slowly beginning to drop. Subsequently, roads across Sheffield were again flooded with rain water, in a further storm. Hundreds of homes also suffered power cuts and warnings were issued for all the rivers around South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire, following fears that there could be general flooding from all rivers and streams. The River Don, River Dearne Rother and River Sheaf were of particular concern. Any further rainfall could have had devastating results on the already high river levels. Many minor roads in Sheffield were transformed into rivers. Sheaf Street, Penistone Road, Abbeydale Road and Burngreave were amongst the worst affected areas. The bus services in Sheffield completely ceased and the police put warnings out to drivers about the dangers of standing water. Rainfall continued into the winter. Eighteen flood warnings were put in place across Yorkshire in December with Kirkstall Road in Leeds, areas around the River Ouse in York, the River Calder in Mirfield, and Allerton in Bradford all pinpointed as potential trouble spots. Otley, Garforth and Beeston were amongst the areas badly affected. The areas worst affected in Yorkshire were: the River Aire at Kirkstall Road, Leeds; the River Aire at Allerton Ings, Bradford; the River Calder in Dewsbury, Mirfield; Mytholmroyd, Horbury and Wakefield; the River Derwent at Norton, in North Yorkshire; the River Don at Long Sandal; and the River Ouse in York and Naburn. The rainfall also caused some problems for the rail services and the services on the East Coast Main Line were delayed because of flooding in Northallerton. In 2003 there was an extremely bad thunder and lightning storm that occurred in February and June and a minor flood that occurred in August. In February, Scarborough’s marine defence was damaged by heavy storms and seas. No one was hurt but the damage made it evident that something would have to be done to improve Scarborough’s coastal defences. In June, thousands of homes across the North East and Yorkshire were left without power because of the thunderstorms. Trains on the East Coast Mainline were brought to a halt for 2 hours after a bolt of lightning struck signals just north of Darlington. Arriva, GNER and Virgin train services were all held up at York and Newcastle because of this. Lightning also hit houses in Main Street in Sutton-on-the-Forest near York. Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield also were subjected to strong storms that eventually moved north and then died over the North Sea. Lightning also struck a vent pipe of a chemical works factory in Bradford, and set off alarms all over Northallerton, Huntington, Easingwold, Tadcaster, Malton and Harrogate. In August, a 30 minute thunderstorm occurred which caused trees to be blown over, roof tiles to be ripped off and homes to be flooded. The Humber coastguard was swamped with distress calls due to the extreme thunderstorm and winds that reached 70mph. As well as this the storm caused the A1 and A19 through Yorkshire to be brought to a complete standstill. Two chimneys were struck by lightning in Skipton town centre on Main Street, forcing roads to be closed and the area to be cordoned off. As well as this there was flooding in Keighley in the Highfield and North Street areas. The drains could not cope with the large volumes of rain water that fell in a short period of time, so they ended up overflowing. Gullies were cleared and sandbags were used to try and prevent any further parts from flooding. In 2004 there were big storms that occurred in April and June, that caused power cuts in North Yorkshire between York and Scarborough. Later on in the year there was also flooding that occurred in August in certain parts of Yorkshire. In April, flood warnings had to be issued by the Environment Agency in the Vale of York, the North York Moors, the River Aire through West Yorkshire and in South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire. Lightning struck the roof of a shop in Gowthorpe and torrential rain caused flash flooding in Castleford and Pontefract. The beck next to the A645 near Pontefract Castle burst its banks causing the drainage system to be overwhelmed. Minor flooding occurred in Baghill Lane in Pontefract but cars had to be abandoned in Straglands Lane in Ferrybridge and Roundhill Junior School was flooded through its kitchen. Floods also occurred on the main road between Sheffield and Meadowhall and a number of businesses in Meadowhall suffered power losses. There were numerous problems with train services as there was a lot of water on the tracks, with the trains between Sheffield and Barnsley suffering uthe most disruptions. In June, extreme rainfall affected parts of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The weather was extremely bad and two cavers became trapped by floodwaters at Kingsdale Master Cave near Ingleton. Both cavers were rescued. In August, homes and businesses both suffered from the floods and the Yorkshire Dales tourist industry recorded economic impacts. A caravan site near Hawes in Wensleydale had to close. At Brompton near Northallerton sudden downpours caused the church to be flooded. Harrogate was worse affected with residents living in Leeds Road requiring rescuing from the fire crews. Large amounts of flood damage was caused to homes and businesses in Knottingley, Ferrybridge and Leeds. Flooding in Leeds pushed up manhole covers on the inner ring road, forcing a section of it to be closed. Westgate in Leeds, near the Magistrate Court, became inundated by a deluge. Scott Hall Road in North Leeds and some homes near Kings Lane roundabout were severely affected by the flooding. Train passengers were also badly affected and there were delays on the York-Harrogate-Leeds line. Trains were also delayed at Thackley and Bradford. Sheffield was also affected, with the worst areas being Chesterfield Road, Abbeydale Road, Eccleshall Road, Pond Street and Middlewood Road, which all had to be closed along with key routes into Sheffield. At one point the storms brought down power lines leaving 5,000 properties without electricity. In some parts of Yorkshire 60mm of rain fell in just an hour. It is believed that the bad weather was a result of Hurricane Alex that had occurred in the US. The UK was the first land mass it came into contact with following its track across the Atlantic. In 2005, floods occurred in January, April, May, the whole of June, July and the beginning of September. In January, there were strong winds and bad storms. Over three days there had been two severe storms and winds of 80mph. The storms made the River Humber swell, putting Hull at risk. Hull’s flood defences cost the city £1.5M. The barriers are 100 feet high and are lowered when high tides threaten the city. The flood barrier had to be closed for 5 hours to protect the city. They did manage to withstand the waters of the River Humber and if they had not it would have cost the city an estimated £250M worth of damages. In April, flood warnings were issued for several North Yorkshire rivers. Flood watches were in force over the North York Moors and the Vale of York. In May, Leeds experienced heavy thunder, lightning and torrential rain. Water was deepest near Leeds Parish Church and traffic was brought to a halt by standing water. Wykebeck Valley in east Leeds was flooded once again and pupils from St Nicholas Primary School had to be sent home. The floods were believed to have been worsened by blocked drains caused by fly tipping. In June, North Yorkshire was hit by the flash floods with nine people reported missing. The village of Helmsley on the North York Moors was in very bad condition and cars had to be abandoned in Selby and Thirsk after the River Rye burst its banks. The water started off as being just a few inches high and then suddenly surged to a height of about 5ft. All houses near the River Rye had to be evacuated and overall 32 homes in Yorkshire were flooded. Several villages, including Selby, Thirsk, Carlton and Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe, ended up getting completely cut off by the rain and it is estimated that about 70mm of rain fell in 3 hours across North Yorkshire at one point. Felixkirk near Thirsk was very badly hit and a lot of the homes were flooded. At one point lightning struck the roof of a house in Loftus, Scarborough and set it alight and the heavy down pours also triggered coastal landslides. The A170 and B1257 in Helmsley was closed when flood water coursed through the streets cutting them off and the A19 and A690 were also difficult to drive through as there was a lot of standing water. In July, dozens of homes in Scarborough were affected by the flooding with the Barrowcliffe area the worst affected. In September, a total of 20 flooding incidents occurred in North Yorkshire. The worst hit areas were Harrogate, Ripon and Skipton where a lot of major businesses suffered water damage. Hull and Scarborough were also affected. There was also a lightning strike on the East Coast Mainline between Northallerton and Thirsk and a barn in Easingwold near Thirsk was destroyed after a lightning bolt hit it and set it on fire. In 2006, heavy rain fell in May, June, July, August, September and December. In May, an inch of rain fell over Leeming in just 24 hours. Two flood warnings were placed on the River Ouse, at York and Naburn Lock and two were placed on the River Derwent at Stamford Bridge and Buttercrambe Mill. In June, several communities in East Yorkshire suffered flash floods and roads in Market Weighton were swamped by water. There were some extremely violent thunderstorms in July and this lead to widespread flooding across the region. Dozens of properties were struck by lightning during the storm. Iveson Drive in Cookridge in Leeds was struck by lightning which caused a severe fire to occur. The fire spread to the adjoining property and both were left virtually uninhabitable. There were also lightning strikes reported in Henconner Lane, Bramley and Carlton near Rothwell, as well as in Menston, Mirfield and Huddersfield and in Undercliffe in Bradford, St Andrews Church tower was badly damaged when lightning struck it. Mallards Primary School in Balby was also struck by lightning and the pupils had to be sent home as the electrical circuits had to be shut and a hole was made in the ceiling. A freak flash of lightning at Railway Farm, Hoyle Mill Road, Kinsley, near Pontefract even ended up hitting a tree which fell on to chicken coup and killed the 38,000 chickens occupying it. Lightning storms also took place in Lincolnshire and reports said it was moving northwards and across to East Riding before it went out to the North Sea. More than 1,000 lightning strikes were recorded and caused problems with the power supplies of 60,000 customers. Storms and flash flooding also resulted in the fire service receiving 330 call outs in 5 hours alone, mainly from the Todmorden and Hebden Bridge areas. In Todmorden up to 8 feet of water flooded houses. On one street the water caused a short circuit and a fire to be sparked. Drivers had to be rescued from floating cars between Halifax Road in Hebden Bridge and Todmorden and many businesses in Hebden Bridge were affected, with some having to be closed for at least 6 weeks. Fire fighters struggled to deal with floods as they were having to pump one area and leave for another straightaway. Extremely bad flooding occurred in East Yorkshire where a number of properties on a housing estate were flooded in Willerby, near Hull, with nearly 18 inches of water flooding the town’s Main Street. The stormy weather was expected to continue into inland Yorkshire to areas including the Vale of York. In August the bad weather continued. South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire were hit with torrential rain and there was flooding throughout Barnsley, Doncaster, Wakefield and Leeds. There were also more lightning strikes and homes on Highfield Avenue, Meltham, in Huddersfield were struck by lightning and set alight and after heavy downpours lightning struck the East Coast Main Line on the signaling system just outside York. Replacement coaches were laid on between Doncaster and York. A number of roads were also affected. One of the lanes on the A58 inner ring road in Leeds leading to the M62 flooded during rush hour, causing tailbacks to occur for several miles. Chantry Bridge on Doncaster Road in Wakefield was also badly flooded and people were told to avoid the area completely. Manhole covers had been lifted up and the road was starting to break-up in that area because of the force from the flood waters. There were also queues along Ings Road and some sewers collapsed near Doncaster Road and there were also problems on Aberforth Road in Leeds. Marshway was also suffering and a subway was filled with more than 6 feet of floodwater. Properties were also affected and three pubs on Leeds Road were flooded and two homes in Dickinson Street were badly affected. Wakefield was the worst affected area, where there were 70 flood related incidents in the space of 4 hours alone. There was also flooding in Pinderfields Hospital and in a residential home in Wrenthorpe, Wakefield. In September, there were a number of lightning strikes and storms. Two bolts of lightning struck houses in Rothwell and Rawdon, but no one was injured. Roads were also damaged because of the lightning strikes, torrential rain and gale force winds. Trees were felled in Shadwell and Harehills by winds and lightning strikes, blocking several streets and carpeting others with leaves and branches. Lightning also struck a tree in Dallowgill, Ripon and felled trees on to the road in Walton Park in Spacey Houses, Harrogate. Trains were also affected by the weather when lightning damaged Network Rail’s signaling equipment causing delays and cancellations on trains out of Leeds station. Train services stopped in Batley and those passing through Bradford had to follow speed restrictions. Leeds suffered the worst lightning strikes overall. The storms also caused problems with the roads. There were 25 minor crashes because of the heavy rain and junction 30 on the M1 out of Sheffield was covered in 2 feet of water. The A61 between Leeds and Harrogate was also closed by fallen branches and trees that were felled by strong winds and bolts of lightning. In December, the region suffered from heavy rainfall. Four adjoining apartments on the High Street in Kippax near Leeds had their roofs ripped off by strong winds. The flats were then flooded by rain water, rendering the residents homeless. In 2007, there was heavy rainfall in January, June, July and November. The January event resulted in flood alerts issued throughout North Yorkshire. Flood warnings were issued for footpaths alongside the River Ouse in central York and downstream at Naburn as well. Buildings were damaged, power was cut, roads were closed and rail services were cancelled. There was trouble on the A1 between Catterick and Dishforth where a lorry was overturned and the road had to be closed for several hours causing a 17 mile traffic jam. Further south on the A1 there was a collision after a HGV overturned. A lorry was also blown over at Scotch Corner and a woman lorry driver was killed when her HGV blew over in North Yorkshire. There were further incidents on the M1, M18, M62 and other arterial routes. Smaller roads were also problematic as many of them were suffering from flooding and had trees and debris blown on to them. Both Trans-Pennine routes in South Yorkshire had to be closed because of this and Skeldergate to the west of the River Ouse and part of the A19 in Fulford to the south were closed to traffic. Forlands Lane and Landing Lane also had to be closed, with traffic diverted through Heslington. Ouse Bridge on the M62 also had to be closed in both directions and the A659 Westbound between Otley and Pool also had to be closed. Warnings were placed on the riverside footpaths at Skeldergate, Peckitt Street, Rowntree Park and Alma Terrace. Flood alerts also remained on the River Swale at Kirby Wiske and the River Ure from Bishop Monkton to Roecliffe Caravan Park, at Aldwarke Bridge and Langthorpe. There were also low level warnings still on the Upper and Lower parts of the River Ouse, the Lower River Swale, Lower River Ure, River Wiske and the Tidal Wharfe. There were 34 flood alerts placed across Yorkshire and Dewsbury Moor was hardest hit with 60 homes on Schools Lane having to be evacuated. The bad weather also affected electricity supplies and 500,000 people were left without power throughout Yorkshire and the North East. Homes in Calverley, Leeds and Boston Spa near Wetherby were the worst affected. There were blackouts all over the region with Leeds, Dewsbury, Wakefield, Bradford and Halifax most affected. Many pupils were affected by the weather when a number of schools had to shut. Kirk Balk School, Hoyland and Worsborough Country Park, Barnsley were two South Yorkshire schools that had to be closed. In West Yorkshire pupils from Ilkley Grammar School were all sent home. Knottingley High School, Knottingley, near Pontefract also had to be closed. Leeds Primrose High School and Shakespeare Primary School also both had to be shut. Sports facilities experienced problems as the rain waterlogged many pitches in Leeds, Bradford and Kirklees. Leeds City Council had to close all 270 of their sports pitches because of the weather. There were also problems with lightning strikes in January. A house and a nursing home both in Harrogate were struck by lightning. The weather seemed to be causing problems across the region and more havoc was created with the floods in June. Over one thousand incidents of flooding occurred in the region and a months worth of rain fell in just 6 hours causing water to rise. Communities on the south western edge of the North York Moors were cut off after minor roads were washed away. In total 125 miles of the road network were affected by flash floods and key roads and bridges were left impassable. 28 flood warnings had been issued and 23 flood watches had been given across the region. Three severe warnings were placed on the River Dearne at Lundwood, Barnsley, the Ings Beck at Westgate and Flanshaw, Wakefield, and land to the north west of the River Don, near Bramwith. Overall, West Yorkshire was probably the worst affected place in the country. Numerous people had to be rescued from flood waters. In North Yorkshire three teenagers had to be pulled to safety from swollen rivers. On Hipswell Moor near Catterick Garrison three soldiers fell into Risedale Beck during a training exercise. Two of the soldiers were found but the third drowned. A boy also had to be rescued from a swollen stream in Ecclesfield in Sheffield after being dragged a mile downstream. Two boys also had to be rescued from a dyke in Barnsley. A boy’s body was found in the River Sheaf in Millhouses Park in Sheffield. A man also drowned while trying to clear a drain in Hull after his foot had became trapped in a manhole. Flood waters rose quickly around him and the strength of the flood waters prevented him from being rescued. Two men had to be rescued by inflatable boat at Hague Lane, Wentworth, near Rotherham and two more had to be rescued from Brodsworth near Doncaster. A couple also had to be rescued from a house in Welland Crescent, Elsecar, Barnsley. Water rescue teams were also needed in Rothwell, Leeds to rescue 7 people from flooded houses on Barnsdale Road between Allerton Bywater and Castleford in a dinghy. The floods severely affected the rail and road networks. The roads that had to be closed included: the sliproad of the M62 at junction 32 at Glasshoughton; Westgate, Wakefield; M62, West Yorkshire; A1M, Wetherby; M1 South Yorkshire; A63, Garforth; A58, Collingham; A6110, Lower Worley, Leeds; A636, Wakefield; A6186, Wakefield; A638, Wakefield; A61, Chapel Allerton; M621, Leeds; A62, Gildersome; A637, Flockton; Northern Street, Leeds; A659, Otley; A61, Harewood; A658, Pool; A65, Leeds; A58M, Leeds; A660, Leeds; A629, Halifax; A164, Carnaby; A1033, Hollym; A18, Leger Way, Doncaster; A616, Deepcar; A19, Askern; A6109, Meadowhall Road, Sheffield; M1, junction 34, Sheffield; and the A57, Sheffield Parkway. . GNER trains from Leeds to Kings Cross were cancelled and flooding in Ardsley affected trains between Leeds and Wakefield. Flooding in Pudsey also affected the rail services between Leeds and Manchester with 5mph speed restrictions in place on some routes and trains were delayed between Bradford Forster Square and Ilkley after the line flooded at Guiseley Station. More rain was still predicted by the end of June and motorists and pedestrians were urged not to travel through flooded areas as both were in danger of being swept away. The rainfall was also expected to worsen the existing flooding. In July the flooding and bad weather continued. At one point an estimated 103mm of rain fell over North Yorkshire in just 24 hours. An extra 15 high volume pumps were drafted to work alongside the 11 already in operation, in Doncaster two communities were submerged under several feet of water and 10,000 litres a second was being pumped out of Bentley and Toll Bar into the River Don. A high volume pump had to be deployed to Humberside to pump water from the streets of Hull. People were waist deep in flood water and polluted sewage in some parts of Hull and the housing estates in Beverley were very badly off with water up to 2m deep in some places. Flash floods also swept though villages near Scotch Corner, with many residents having to be rescued. Streams burst their banks and made roads impassable in Barton, Gilling West, Melsonby, Hartford, Scotch Corner, Middleton Tyas and Kirby Hill which border the A66. Water reached 5 feet deep in some areas. Three flood warnings were given in East Yorkshire, two flood warnings were placed on the River Hull in Nafferton, Foston and Watton Carrs at Burrshill Carrs. One flood warning was also placed at Holderness Drain and two flood watches were placed on the River Hull’s upper catchments around Driffield and Leconfield and in Holderness between Carnaby and Kilnsea. Road and rail services once again encountered problems. Trains to Bradford Forster Square, Ilkley and Skipton from Leeds City Station were some of many trains that suffered delays. Several roads, including the A61 between Sheffield and Barnsley, had to be closed. Flash flooding also occurred on the A65, A59 and A629, along with a number of other routes, forcing a number of roads to close. A man was also trapped in his car on the A629 at Low Bradley after it got stuck under 2 feet of water. The A1039 in Filey also had to be closed along with all routes into the town. The A66 and its side roads were flooded and had to be shut. Many properties were also flooded. 20 properties in the Holderness village of Camerton were flooded with several inches of water. 10 houses on Muston Road in Filey, 70 properties in Dunhill, 30 homes in Gilling West and numerous other places were flooded with many homes having to be evacuated. In a lot of areas the flooding had been exacerbated by blockages in the sewage system. 16 people and 4 dogs had to be rescued by life boat crews and 30 elderly people had to be evacuated from their flats in Filey. The floods disrupted schools again and 700 pupils in Hull had their exams disrupted when they had to flee from the floods. Pupils also had to be sent home from Filey School and Shakespeare Primary and Primrose High School in Burmantofts both suffered flooding, but neither school had to close. Some of the worst hit areas were Mirfield, Liversedge, Wakefield, South Elmsall, Cleckheaton, Brighouse, Pontefract, Collingham, near Wetherby and parts of Leeds and Castleford. In November, flood warnings had to be issued for Scarborough’s seafront. The tides were very high and heavy seas pounded the coast. Marine Drive had to be closed as tides were predicted to rise 3m above normal. Their closure caused chaos throughout the whole town. A woman and her two children had their lives claimed by the bad weather, when their boat was swept away from Scarborough’s sea wall. People were warned not to set sail in this weather. After the seas calmed and the storm passed Scarborough was left covered in sand, seaweed, spume and pieces of wreckage from broken fences. In 2008, there were weather related problems in January and May. In January 12 hour storms caused the roads to be blocked by falling trees and roofs that had been blown off buildings. Two 70 foot aluminium sheets that made up the roof of Harrogate District Hospital were blown off. A number of schools were also forced to close and at one point 22,000 homes across the county were left without power. Many roads had to be closed across West Yorkshire because of heavy rain and flood warnings were given for the River Calder and the River Colne and flood watches were placed on the River Wharfe and the River Aire. Near the end of the month about 41 flood warnings and 39 flood watches had been issued with 13 flood warnings being extremely severe. The adverse weather severely affected travel. There was a minibus crash on the A166 near Garrowby Hill and the A646 Burnley to Halifax in the Upper Calder Valley had to be closed between Todmorden and Mytholmroyd due to the floods. The Halifax to Burnley Road in the Hebden Bridge area of Calderdale was the worst affected and there was a foot of water on the Canal Road in the centre of Bradford after a night of heavy rain and the road between Queens Road and Kings Road had to be closed. In Leeds, Marsh Street, East Street and Neptune Street all had to be closed. There was a lot of standing water in Rossington and the A6023 at Mexborough and a woman and her child had to be rescued when they were trapped in their car by floodwater on the B1246 road from Pocklington to Warter. A lorry was overturned on the M1 northbound at junction 40 near Wakefield and a wagon lost its ladders on junction 39. Another lorry was also overturned near junction 39 on M1 southbound in Durkar area of Wakefield and police requested closure of the Aire and Calder Bridge at junction 30 of the M62 after a lorry’s roof was almost ripped off. Parts of the A1 where closed to high sided vehicles between junction 61 and 49 after several lorries were toppled. A 35 mile stretch between Dishforth and Bowburn was closed to high sided vehicles and lorries were overturned on the A1 northbound between Catterick and Scotch Corner and on the A6108 Downham Road in Richmond. Rail services experienced numerous problems across the region. Schools also suffered, with 60 children having to be evacuated from a school in Elland near Halifax and the pupils at Horbury School in Wakefield could not attend classes as their mobile classrooms were flooded. In May, the flooding was not as widespread, but a small specific area in Ribblehead was badly affected. One property in the Ribblehead area was completely flooded and there were numerous reports of people being trapped in their cars because of flood waters.
| Further Details | Gales & Tornadoes Summary In 2000 the most notable gale occurred in October. Temperatures had only reached 5°C which had lead to widespread snowfall and very windy weather. North Yorkshire managed to escape the worst of the gales, though, with gusts only reaching 40mph. In 2002 the gales occurred in January and February. The January gales occurred at about the same time as some snow and blizzards and the February gales happened at about the same time as some flooding. The gales in January reached speeds of up to 100mph. Damage was caused to a church in York. Masonry which was blown off sadly killed a young woman passing by. Traffic was also affected as a lorry was blown over on the southbound carriageway of the A1 near Catterick in North Yorkshire. Coppergate and Ousegate also had to be closed to traffic, with only pedestrians allowed to travel through. The gales in February once again affected traffic and damaged buildings. The corrugated iron roof of York railway station was ripped off and two overhead power lines were brought down, which lead to the East Coast Main Line being closed for 4 hours in York. As well as this at least eight lorries were blown over in North Yorkshire and many lorries were overturned on the A171 on the North York Moors above Whitby. In 2003 a mini tornado occurred in August. The mini tornado formed in Lofthouse near Pately Bridge and blew the branches off a sycamore tree on to the roofs of two cottages and two cars parked nearby in Nidderdale Village. No one was hurt by the tornado, which had formed in the morning, or by the falling branches and shortly after it took place the weather changed to torrential rains and flash flooding, in a wave of freak weather. 2004 experienced gales in January, March, October and December. The January gales came with freezing weather which left hundreds of homes without power. The March gales lasted the longest and at one point left 31,000 homes without power. About 15,000 homes in Whitby, York and various other places suffered the power loss and about 14,800 homes from Berwick to York suffered from power cuts that ranged from between an hour to 3 hours. Flamborough, Scarborough, Malton, Withernsea, Middlesbrough and Sutton-on-the-Forest were amongst those affected by the power cuts and those living in Selby suffered problems for about 3 days. Gusts reached 70mph and caused the crash of a lorry in a central reservation near Catterick in North Yorkshire. The lorry was carrying 24.5 tonnes of phthalicanhydride which later mixed with rain water from heavy rains. Once mixed with water the chemical became highly acidic and put people at risk from suffering skin burns. This meant fire fighters had to wait for the rain to stop before taking action to prevent it from reaching the water courses and drains. Other heavy goods vehicles were blown over on the M62 at Wakefield and gusts were so bad assistance could not be given for 5 hours. Cars were also affected in West Yorkshire where there were collisions on the M1 near junction 47 near Garforth. There were seven casualties in total, with one woman dying, leaving her baby in critical condition. Northallerton, Richmond, Bedale and all surrounding villages were all gridlocked after two fatal accidents occurred nearby. The A1 and A66 both had to be closed after the chemical lorry crash near Catterick and after a minibus was almost hit by an out of control lorry. The trains were also affected. The wind brought down train signals and caused severe disruption with the rail services between London and Sheffield. At the start of October there was a mini tornado where huge branches were sent crashing more than 20 feet to the ground. The tornado took place in Cawood near Selby and it sheared the tops of huge conifers and dropped them near the surrounding homes. Greenhouse windows were also smashed and crops were ruined. One woman who owned two and a half aces of greenhouses had them ruined when the winds smashed around 3000 panes of glass over them. There were also gale force winds throughout North Yorkshire and on Bellfield Avenue in Hull the winds sent a chimney stack crashing into the roof sending about 2 tonnes of debris into the room of a sleeping 16 year old girl. Near the end of October 55mph gusts of wind were reportedly being recorded in Leeming, near Bedale, North Yorkshire. Speed limits had to be imposed on trains on the East Coast Mainline between York and Newcastle, preventing them from travelling more than 80mph. A lorry carrying foam was also blown over near East Layton on the junction of the A66 and B6372. There were also numerous reports of trees being felled throughout North Yorkshire. In December the high winds lead to a number of road accidents. The Highway Agency and the RAC warned drivers to take care driving as there was a possibility that the gusts would cause problems on the major routes. Accidents occurred on the M62 at junction 35 in West Yorkshire and on the M1 near Chesterfield and Derbyshire. There were also lengthy tailbacks throughout the day on the A1 northbound carriageway near Knaresborough after a high-sided lorry was overturned in the early hours of the morning. The northbound traffic had to be restricted to one lane for quite a while. Gusts reached up to 70mph and many people were blown over by the winds across South Yorkshire. The winds were worst on the high ground. The M62, M6, A66 and A69 were suffering badly and 4 million train passengers suffered problems on the Central Train Services. In 2005 there were bad gusts and tornadoes in January, July and August. In January gales reached 100mph across Yorkshire. The Humber Bridge and the A66 both had to be closed to high-sided vehicles as they were in danger of being overturned. On the M62, near Scammonden Dam, a lorry carrying empty milk bottles was overturned forcing two lanes of the motorway to be closed and causing a 15 mile tailback. The winds also affected the railway service with GNER services between Newcastle and York cancelled when trees were blown on to the power lines and the 6am service from Newcastle to Kings Cross was stranded in Northallerton. Signalling problems occurred in Huddersfield causing a lot of problems with the railway service and Wensleydale Railway services between Leeming Bar and Redmire had to be suspended because of the weather. There were massive power cuts throughout the region and at one point more than 150,000 homes in nearly 1,000 locations were left without electricity and villages around Darlington and Richmond, including Barton, Cleasby and Piercebridge. The worst affected areas were Bradford and Huddersfield where 14,300 homes suffered 48 hour power cuts. Hull also suffered badly, when 10,000 homes were left without power. The gales also caused some structural damage to a number of homes throughout Yorkshire. The high winds posed the biggest threat to trees and poorly maintained buildings and structures. In Leeds the winds brought an 80 foot oak down in one family’s back garden. The tree just narrowly missed the house. On Larkfield Avenue, in Rawdon, winds blew the gable end off a house until a large section of it was blown off onto the car port and two vehicles. A 6 foot square panel had to be used to replace the roof off the fire station in Selby after strong winds blew it off. Uprooted trees and debris were left strewn about the region by the gales. People were advised to stay indoors for their safety and Ogden Water in Halifax had to be closed because of the large possibility of trees falling and injuring people. The gales were so bad that 10 primary schools had to be closed. Kirkby Fleetham Primary School and Appleton Wiske Primary School, near Northallerton; Snape Primary School, near Bedale; Terrington Primary School, near York; Thornton Watlass Primary School, near Masham; Summerbridge Primary School, near Harrogate; Horton-in-Ribblesdale Primary School, near Settle and Kirby-in-Malham Primary School, near Skipton were the schools forced to close. Over 1,000 pupils were affected by these closures. In July there were reports that a “twister” occurred in Thirsk, North Yorkshire at 4pm on Thursday the 30th of June during a heavy thunderstorm. Later reports showed that the “twister” did not touch the ground, so it is believed that it was in fact a funnel cloud. The funnel cloud could be seen from the Cockerton area of town and it moved from east to west, creating a path of destruction. In August the winds were strong and went up to gale force 9 in a lot of areas across the region. In 2006 tornadoes occurred in both August and September, causing problems in a lot of places. In August wings shot up to gale force not long after a tornado occurred in the village of Langtoft in Lincolnshire. Reports say the sky went dark and the clouds started rotating until they eventually formed a funnel and started moving north. Sheets of metal were sucked 200 feet into the air as it gained speed and 5 archaeologists who had been sheltering a temporary canteen were picked up and thrown in the air. Four of them had to go to the A & E Department for medical attention. In September a series of mini tornadoes had taken form, damaging businesses and homes in several areas of Leeds. Debris and fallen trees were left strewn across the A61 between Leeds and Harrogate and there were also reports of tornadoes in Harrogate and Barnsley. In Harrogate the fallen trees were blocking the road into Walton Park in the Spacey Houses area. The most serious incident was a report of a man being struck by a falling tree on Compton Road in Harehills, in Leeds. North Leeds bore the bunt of the weather with trees also being uprooted in the Roundhay Area of Leeds as well as Shadwell and Harehills. Windows, roofs, chimneys and store shutters were all damaged. Homes near East End Park were also badly affected as trees were uprooted and thrown on to cars. Leeds City Council had to repair about 300 homes that had been affected by the tornadoes. The Leeds tornadoes were very unusual as tornadoes usually occur in open spaces, like fields, not built up inner city areas. In December there were strong gales throughout the region with the coastal and hilly areas being the worst affected. The A1 and a few other roads had to be closed when trees were brought down, blocking them. Roads in Bottesford, Scunthorpe and Stallingborough, near Grimsby, were all affected by debris and trees that were strewn across the roads. Two Hull-bound North Sea ferries were also affected when they had to ride out force 10 gales just off Spurn Point. The roofs were torn off four adjoining apartments on the High Street in Kippax, near Leeds. Rain water flooded them and water logged the apartments and ground floor shops, rendering the families who lived there homeless. There were also problems in Pickhill, just west of Thirsk, when three barns ad debris blown off them that later caught fire. In 2007, there were problems in January, March, June and November. There were high winds throughout Yorkshire in January. The winds were so strong a stable in Filey, North Yorkshire was blown over. Storms of 100mph swept over the region. In January, problems occurred in the seas when a 40 foot fishing vessel needed help. The vessel was struggling against force 8 gales and had to be helped to safety by Scarborough’s life boat. Trucks were overturned by high winds on the A629 Skipton West Bypass and police, fire and ambulance crews had to fight against 80mph winds to sort out the situation. The A1 in Leeming was also suffering problems and had to be closed in both directions. Motorists also got stuck in a 17 mile tailback on the A1 between Catterick and Dishforth. There was also a 6 mile traffic jam on the A1 after a lorry was blown over on the A1M at Boroughbridge. A lorry was also blown over on the Stapleton to Little Smeaton Road near Pontefract. Another lorry was also overturned on the A1 near Wentbridge and on the A628 Woodhead Pass in the early hours of the morning. The Tinsley Viaduct had to be closed to all high-sided vehicles and the M18 at Throne had to be closed after a lorry was blown over. The A1 also had another closure near Darrington when a lorry was also overturned there. A woman was killed when the HGV she was driving was overturned in North Yorkshire and another woman was killed when her vehicle overturned on the A629 Skipton western bypass. The winds also were causing havoc on the M62 at Ouse Bridge, which also had to be closed. Driver were advised not to travel unless absolutely necessary. Fire fighters also had to be called to deal with overturned lorries on the Northbound A1 between Walshford, north of Wetherby and the Allerton Park Interchange and the A162 at South Milford. Train services and air travel were also affected, with both services suffering delays. GNER trains out of Yorkshire had to be cancelled after Network Rail imposed speed limits. The Leeds/Bradford and Doncaster airports had to be closed because of the gales. The gales once again affected a number of schools in Yorkshire. Kirk Balk School, Hoyland and Barnsley and Worsborough Country Park, in Barnsley were two South Yorkshire schools that had to be closed because of the weather. Pupils from Ilkley Grammar School in West Yorkshire were also affected by closures. Knottingley High School, in Knottingley, near Pontefract also had to be closed. A number of properties also experienced damage. In Rodley and Drighlington the gable ends of two houses were blown down. High winds also damaged the £7M Carnegie Rugby Stand when the plastic sheeting was blown off on to St Michael’s Lane in Headingley, in Leeds. The gales also left about 50,000 people without electricity. The North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service received 999 calls at least every 2-3 minutes. In low lying areas, such as Farsley on the outskirts of Leeds, winds reached 77mph and higher areas experienced winds of up to 100mph. The strongest gust in January 2007 occurred on the 18th were gales reached 104mph. In March gales were recorded at force 9. The coast guard advised people not to go out by boat and three people had to be rescued from a ship just of the coast of Yorkshire. The ship had gotten into difficulties with strong winds just off Spurn Point and two rescue helicopters and a life boat was needed to rescue the crew. Near the end of June a funnel cloud formed in the Penistone area. It took half an hour for it to form and then separate and reform. In November a gale force 8 warning was put in place and Scarborough Borough Council had to seal off the piers. The Humber coastguard once again had to warn people of the severity of setting sail in such conditions and advised against it. 2008 experienced problems in the months of January, February, March and June. In January winds reached 73mph and ended up bringing a mini whirlwind to Scunthorpe, causing chaos on the rods. The storm lasted 12 hours and resulted in the blockage and closure of numerous roads as trees and roofs and other debris were scattered across them. Some schools were forced to close and at one point 30,000 homes were left without power after falling trees brought down power lines. Air and road travel suffered a lot. Flights were grounded at Leeds/Bradford International Airport. A number of flights had initially suffered delays but had to be cancelled after the winds worsened. Collisions occurred on the A166 close to Garrowby Hill in East Yorkshire, the A19 at Escrick in North Yorkshire and the A65 at Craven. Lorries and other high-sided vehicles were either toppled or in danger of being overturned on the A1 at Wetherby, M1 northbound at junction 40 near Wakefield, junction 39, the junction 39 on the M1 southbound in the Durkar area of Wakefield, junction 30 of the M62 on the Aire and Calder Bridge, the A1 between junction 61 and junction 49, the 35 mile stretch between Dishforth and Bowburn, the A1 northbound between Catterick and Scotch corner and on the A6108 Downham Road in Richmond. Most of these roads had to be closed because of the problems that occurred or could possibly occur on them because of the weather. There were also problems with falling trees and other obstructions on Leeds Road, Hipperholme and Northowram, which are all in Calderdale, and Neville Street and Victoria Street, which are both in Leeds. A number of buildings and homes also suffered from the winds. Roofs and chimneys were torn off buildings and streets in a number of areas had to be closed for the public’s safety. The gales from January continued into February and a man was killed by icy winds on the 3rd of February. Gusts went up to 75mph and affected a number of properties and roads. A lorry was blown over and the driver was killed on the M6. The Trans-Pennine Woodhead Pass had to be closed to HGV, a lorry was blown over in Dodworth near Barnsley, a section of the A18 Humberside had to be closed and a road into Little Weighton in East Yorkshire was closed by fallen branches. The gales also affected more than 620 properties in villages including Alne, Stillington, Huby and Brandsby, north of York. These areas were all affected by power cuts that occurred when the wind damaged the power cables. In March the winds damaged dozens of homes and a car was crushed in Leonfield on the A164 by a falling tree. Gales had reached 95mph and were causing millions of pounds worth of damage throughout the region. Hold ups were expected on the Trans-Pennine Express and 50mph speed restrictions had to be placed on the East Coast Main Line and journeys between York and London were expected to take twice as long as usual. Later in the month the winds brought down the electricity cable for the East Coast Main Line at Templehurst down. The high winds delayed any repair work and services to London had to be halted in Doncaster and services to Edinburgh had to be halted in York. In June gales reached 63mph and brought trees down throughout Yorkshire. Driving conditions were extremely hazardous and the A66 Trans-Pennine route from Scotch Corner to Penrith had to be closed to high-sided vehicles. A tree was blown down on to a car in Poppleton Road in York. Fallen trees also caused problems in Ripon, Northallerton and Richmond. In Hull chimney stacks were damaged and had to be removed by fire fighters, and fire fighters were also caused to secure some scaffolding on Craven Street in Scarborough.
| Further Details | Erosion & Landslip Summary In 2003 both the landslips and coastal erosion took place near the beginning of February, near Scarborough. The coastal erosion that occurred was threatening a cliff top where Yorkshire Water had built a £30M sewage treatment plant in the year 2000. When the plant was originally built the area had been regarded as low risk, but instability problems started to occur with the cliff in November 2000. The waves were weakening the cliffs and causing landslips to occur. The landslips were also threatening to destroy a section of the Cleaveland Way Footpath. The sewage treatment plant was not believed to be under any serious risk for another 60 years. The Council was also putting measures into place to stabilise the slopes by improving the drainage of the cliff, retaining the soil that made up the cliff tops to stabilise them, and placing defences at the base of the cliff to try and prevent it from being undermined by the sea. Scarborough also suffered some problems when heavy seas damaged the new accropode and rock armour defences along the Marine Drive. A £33M scheme had been put into action to install new sea defences. When the damage occurred, the fencing that separated the public from the construction area was completely destroyed and three stretches of unprotected railings were ripped up. The damage did not put any residents at risk as the Drive had already been closed to residents. The damage was not surprising as the existing sea wall had been taken down 100 yards below the rock armour. There was an ongoing debate, though, about whether or not a 3 foot high wall should be built along the sea front to reduce the impact of the waves. In September 2005 a landslip occurred at Tyke Hill on the B6265. Problems started occurring for motorists when the road started to depress. Temporary repairs were carried out to keep the worst affected parts of the road safe but consultants recommended that a piled solution should be put in place to support the road. This would cost £300,000 and take about 3 months to construct, which would mean the road would have to be kept open during construction with traffic signals put in place to keep motorists away from vulnerable areas. It is believed that the landslip occurred partly as a result of the floods and heavy rain that had taken place both early in the month and in previous months. In January 2007 a £10M redevelopment plan was put into place at Sand-le-Mere near Tunstall, which is one of the north east coast’s biggest Caravan Parks. The cliffs in that area have all been subjected to heavy erosion that was affecting some facilities in the Caravan Park, such as the Entertainment Centre, which was extremely close to the cliff edge. Some 3m of the cliff has been lost to cliff erosion from the year 2000 and the erosion rates, on the Holderness/ Hornsea coast, increased from 1.5m on average to 2m on average. Permission has been granted to allow the development of private sea defences to be constructed along a 150m stretch of sea front. There were inland landslides throughout the course of 2007. In June a landslip occurred at Blubberhouses near Skipton. The landslide trapped a couple in their car and they had to be rescued by fire fighters. The landslide occurred during torrential rain and flooding with the North of Yorkshire being the worst affected. Later on in the month, another landslide, also caused by the heavy rain, occurred in Kex Gill, between Harrogate and Skipton. No-one was hurt but the A59 had to be closed. A third landslide took place in July and the rail services on the West Yorkshire commuter line were hit by the landslip when tons of earth fell on to the Leeds-Ilkley railway line at Springs Tunnel, Guiseley. In September there were a few coastal erosion problems and three notable landslips. The erosion problems mainly occurred at Robin Hood’s Bay, where more than 200 homes have fallen victim to coastal erosion from the 18th Century. By 2000 6 feet of ground was all that was left between the cliff edge and the entrance road to the lower part of the village. The upper and lower parts of the village were at risk of being lost as the coast was eroding at 0.3m per a year. It would cost about £121,000 to construct sea defences to protect the town. The inland landslips occurred when part of the ground of the A61 Penistone access road into Sheffield had subsided in the June floods. The foundations that were supporting the road were badly damaged and had to be repaired. This meant that detailed surveys would have to be carried out to see what would need to be done to stabilise the road and accommodate its usual volume of traffic, which means the road would have to be closed for a number of months. Two other landslips occurred on the A6102 Middlewood Road in Sheffield. The road would have to be closed for repairs until the following year. In November alerts were issued across the coast as the high tides were causing a lot of damage to Scarborough. The high tides were threatening to flood a number of areas and it is believed that these floods, which usually only occur once every 100 years, will start to occur once every 10 years by the end of the century. The high tides ended up flooding the North Marine Drive and the construction site of a £140M Sands project in Scarborough. Both places were left covered in sand, seaweed, spume and pieces of wreckage from broken fences. The Marine Drive and Foreshaw Road both had to be closed, causing many problems throughout the town. In 2008 there were a number of problems that occurred from January through to June. In January it was found that Barnston had one of the fastest eroding coastlines in England, with 2.5m of ground being lost a year because of the strong north westerly winds and extremely high tides. Attempts were made to try and stop the coast from receding anymore but authorities have said that the situation is unstoppable. In February work had to be done to try and protect Whitby’s harbour from coastal erosion from the North Sea. Around 3,000 tonnes of rock was needed to place around the upper harbour in a £450,000 scheme to try and stop the sea and the River Esk from eroding inland. In March there were problems at Knipe Point overlooking Cayton Bay where ground movements resulted in two houses being evacuated. This had also happened in 1993, right before one of the biggest landslips on the Yorkshire coast in over a century occurred. By April the situation at Knipe Point was getting worse. Cracks had started appearing in the ground of the local woodland and large pools of water had begun turning the land into a bog. The natural drainage processes and impact of water seepage and drainage from adjacent developed land were supposedly some of the factors that were causing the problems. The cliff line had already retreated 30-40 yards over a period of 30 years, with some estimates showing that about 20ft of the cliff face had fallen off during the winter alone. In May the problems at Knipe Point were continuing. The Cayton Bay Woods were starting to dip and the cliffs were starting to crumble more. Overall the coastal erosion and landslip had led to the demolition of five properties with a 2 feet wide crack pulling down the land where two of the demolished properties once stood. The occurrence of the landslips had increased over the winter and by June £90,000 had been invested in an investigation into why the landslips were taking place. The key task was to drill a series of boreholes into the ground to confirm the landslide geology and install slope monitoring instruments. Modelling would also have to be done to determine how and why the landslides were happening and the rate of the ground slippage and cliff recession. Some of the current proposed actions to tackle the problems have been to prop the cliff up, provide it with better drainage, protect the foot of the cliff from being undermined and provide the slope with a suitable amount of support.
| Further Details | Snow, Blizzards & Ice Summary In 2001 snows occurred in February, March and December. In February and March a number of schools had to be closed because of the bad weather conditions. Schools in Richmondshire and Wensleydale at Leyburn had to be closed. The blizzard conditions caused power cuts throughout the region, leaving 18,000 people without electricity at one point. It also made roads treacherous to drive on, with snow 3 foot deep in some areas. The other concern with the snow was flooding. Many areas were in danger of being flooded once the snow melted and residents in areas prone to flooding were told to prepare sandbags. December also experienced heavy snow. Police urged motorists not to travel unless absolutely necessary as they had been called to deal with 104 accidents in one day alone. Many accidents occurred within minutes of each other. A lot of the accidents took place on the A1 in North Yorkshire and they caused tailbacks across both carriageways. Thirteen people were hurt and three more had serious injuries and had to be airlifted to hospitals in Northallerton and Leeds by the RAF. The 2001 snows carried through to January 2002 and once again there were traffic accidents. The heavy snow led to a 20 vehicle pile up on the A19 at Cranthorne in North Yorkshire. The first snow of 2003 occurred in January, it continued through February and March and then there was more snowfall in December. In January the snow caused hazardous driving conditions throughout the region. The A57 Snake Pass that links Sheffield and Manchester had to be closed and the A6024 and A635 were badly affected. Temperatures were struggling to rise above zero and in February several inches of snow fell in the area over the period of one night. This caused severe problems for drivers and the B6275 between Barton and Darlington had to be closed for one and a half hours. There were also a number of problems with the bus service in Richmond and Newton Aycliffe and the M1 in South Yorkshire had to be closed after two lorries collided. The collision occurred on the northbound carriageway near junction 37 and caused tailbacks down to junction 33 at Sheffield’s Parkway. A different HGV was also involved in a collision between junction 36 and junction 37. In total eight vehicles were involved in four different collisions. There were also 77 minor accidents which occurred throughout North Yorkshire and some major problems on the A684 at Winton Bank between Northallerton and the A19. Nine schools in North Yorkshire had to be closed and 1,900 pupils were affected. Primary schools in Arkengarthdale, Gunnerslide, Leyburn, Melsonby and in the Catterick Garrison area were all affected. Risedale Community College at Catterick Garrison and Wensleydale School at Leyburn were also affected, with hundreds of pupils at Eccleshall Junior School in Sheffield also having to be sent home because of weather related problems. In March blizzards made driving conditions difficult, but the snowfall did seem to be localised in the north of Yorkshire and along the coast. Here, 2-4 inches of snowfall occurred and a major operation had to be put into action to keep roads into Scarborough open. Nearly all of them were covered in snow and ice and the bus and postal services were undergoing some severe disruptions. There were problems with crashes and vehicles being overturned near Cranthorne, at Killerby, at Osgodby Hill Top, in Helmsley, in Nidderdale, in Wensleydale and on the A171 Whitby to Guisborough. As well as that there were also severe disruptions on the A64 Filey Road and Seamer Road, but no one reported any accidents. Gritters had to work through the night to keep main roads and secondary routes passable. The snow also caused a number of schools to shut. Amongst them was Scarborough’s Springhead School which also took students from the Whitby, Filey and Pickering areas. Students had to be ferried home by taxis. In December snow drifts caused problems on the A171 between Whitby and Scarborough, the A169 at Blue Bank, the A11 and the A170 near Pickering. The coast and the north of Yorkshire were once again the worst hit. Many towns and cities including York, Scarborough and Pickering saw 2 inches of snowfall on much of the major highways. It is believed the weather was being caused by a cold front that had come in from the west and was bringing snowfall and freezing rain. In 2004 it snowed in the months of January, February and March. The January snows had continued from the December snows of the previous year and they brought severe weather warnings throughout Yorkshire. Snow was expected to be at least 10cm deep on higher ground and at least 5cm deep on lower ground. A lot of East Yorkshire was impassable and villages near Hull and Beverley were suffering from the most difficult conditions. At one point the weather left 51,000 homes across the region without power, with the villages of Ampleforth, Easingwold, Sheriff Hutton, Oswalkrk and Leppington in Ryedale being the worst affected. Roads throughout the region were badly affected. The A15 between Barnetby Top and the Humber Bridge had to be closed after 5 cars skidded and almost had accidents. The M62 and other routes across the Pennines were very badly affected. Snowdrifts were created on the A180 in North East Lincolnshire. There was an accident on Doncaster Road which resulted in 3 people being rushed to Scunthorpe General Hospital. The A635, Greenfield Road near Holmfirth had to be closed because of heavy snow and several roads including the A66 Trans-Pennine route and the A170 Sutton Bank near Thirsk also had to be shut. There were extremely difficult driving conditions on the A165, A169, A174, A171 and the A64 and three lorries got stuck on the A171 at Clough Bank near Scarborough. The A61 Harrogate Road in Harewood and the A659 Otley Road in Leeds were completely blocked. Leeds gritters were sent out to treat major routes and motorways and the Highway Agency used 53 gritters to tackle other major routes such as the M1, M621, M606 and parts of the A1. By the 29th of January some 40% of Yorkshire’s 5,000 miles of roads had been treated by 94 gritters and 150 locally hired farmers. At one point, 700 gritters had to be sent out on the roads in one night. All drivers were advised to carry a shovel, warm clothes, food, water, boots and a torch with them while travelling. Air travel was also affected and British Airways had to cancel 20 flights at Leeds/Bradford Airport at one point. The January snow also affected some schools and hospitals. Hull Royal Infirmary reported that 70% of all patients admitted had suffered weather related injuries. Many had slipped and fallen and broken a bone. Snow was 5 inches thick in some areas and forty of Yorkshire’s 400 schools had to be temporarily closed because of the bad weather. In February, twenty five schools in North Yorkshire had to be closed. Temperatures sank lower than -2.7°C in Bingley at one point. There were 49 collisions across the North York Moors alone and many vehicles were stuck in snow at Pond Hill near Fylingdales. The snows came to an end in March where only a few isolated problems in North Yorkshire remained. The only road that needed to be closed was the A684 at Ellerbeck near Northallerton. In 2005 there was snow in January, February and March. The snowfall ceased and then started up again in November and December. In January heavy snow and strong winds hit the Yorkshire and Humber region. Motorists were told to postpone their journeys unless absolutely necessary. The snow also affected the power supply and hundreds of homes in West Yorkshire were left without electricity. In February the heaviest snow hit the East of Yorkshire. Some 15cm of snow fell across the North York Moors and 8cm of snow fell in Fylingdales. Roads east of the A1 were the worst affected and all motorists were advised to carry weather kits with them. There were problems at the A170 at Sutton Bank and major delays on the A64 near York. Gritters were needed on the A1, A69, A68 and A66. One hundred gritters were needed and Blakey Moor and Gillamoor were the worst affected areaa. The A66 across the Pennines, A179 Pickering to Whitby, A635 Greenfield Road above Holmfirth, A6024 Holme Moss Road and the A170 at Sutton Bank were all closed. The A171 across the moors and the A174 coastal route provided extremely hazardous driving conditions. Trains also had problems and Network Rail had to de-ice all trains by providing heaters and using teams of workers known as “snowmen” to assist. The snow also had a knock on effect on the schools. Some 42 schools in North Yorkshire had to be closed, 150 schools in South Yorkshire, including 117 schools in Sheffield, had to be shut, 130 schools in Bradford had to be closed and 100 schools in Kirklees had to be closed. As the snow started to melt near the end of February flood notices had to be put in place. There was still at least 10cm of snow forecasted for higher ground though. Parts of the A6024 Woodhead Road and the A635 Greenfield Road were still hidden under 2 feet of snow by the beginning of March. There were also severe delays on the A61 Leeds to Harrogate Road and problems on the M62 near Gildersome, the A653 at Dewsbury Road, the A171 Pond Hill, the A169 Pickering to Whitby and the A170 at Sutton Bank. Some North Yorkshire schools also still remained closed. In November the worst of the blizzards took place in North Yorkshire with 4 inches of snow falling in Scarborough and the worst snowfall being in the North York Moors and the Pennines. There were problems at Osgodby Hill, on the Scarborough to Whitby Road, on the A165 between Filey and Bridlington, on the A171 Whitby to Guisborough, on the A170 at Sutton Bank, on the A169 between Whitby and Pickering and on the A173 at Great Ayton. Between 300-400 cars were abandoned on the rural roads and accidents were reported across the major roads because of the snowfall. Temperatures plummeted below zero in December with 6 inches of snow falling in some areas and a foot and a half of snow over the North York Moors. The A1, A1M, M1 and the M2 were the worst affected. One road at Thixendale on the Yorkshire Wolds was impassable and the coastal and moor roads were badly affected. The A171 Whitby to Guisborough had to be closed and over 200 cars were stuck at Arras Hill on the A1079 York to Hull Rail services were also disrupted by the weather and there were delays on the East Coast Main Line forcing trains to slow to speeds of 5mph. Football matches across the regions had to be cancelled and the weather was expected to get worse still. At one point temperatures fell to -5°C. In 2006 snowfall occurred in March alone. The A64 Scarborough to York and the A171 coastal road between Scarborough and Whitby were the worst affected. The weather was freezing and the snowfall started sporadically with snowfall confined to the coast but the snow soon swept across to fall over other parts of Yorkshire. Temperatures fell as low as -9°C in some places and delays and accidents were reported across the region. Traffic was affected on the A1 near Dishforth, the M621, A58 and the A64 in Leeds. The A171 Whitby to Guisborough was badly affected along with the A169 Whitby to Pickering. Heavy snows also fell on the A19 at Ellerbeck. Many vehicles also experienced skids and accidents on the M1 at junction 46, on the A66 at Mainsgill Farm, and accidents at various parts of the A1. The A59 between Blubberhouses and Skipton also suffered and was in such bad condition it had to be shut. Conditions were also hazardous towards Bridlington, Driffield and York. Trains were also affected. The services to Scarborough, Kings Cross, Ilkley and Huddersfield from York had to be cancelled because of the bad weather. It is believed that the cold spell is due to a cold front that had moved across to England from Scandinavia. In 2007 there was snowfall in Yorkshire in January, February and December. The January snowfall caused accidents to occur throughout East Yorkshire. A car slid off the road into the living room of a house on Thorngumbald Road at Paull and a tractor drove into a tree on the B1251 at Wetwang. There were also problems when a car skidded and landed on its roof in Fridaythorpe and there was a head on collision between two cars on the A1079 near Bishop Burton. The snow continued into February, as did travel problems. About 15cm of snow was expected to fall and temperatures in Leeds were aound -2°C. Some 400 gritters were needed across the region and average motorway speeds fell to 30mph. The moors and dales suffered the heaviest snowfall and about 9 inches of snow fell on higher ground. The Pennines was the worst hit area. The snowfall carried over into 2008, where snow fell in January, February, March and April. In January, thirty vehicle crashes were reported in North Yorkshire alone. The heaviest snowfall hit the north of Yorkshire in places above 200m were up to 20cm of snow fell. Accidents were reported in Malton, Skipton Forge, Sherburn in Elmet, York and between Slingsby and South Holme. There were no major incidents in South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, but both places were hit by heavy snowfall. There were problems on the A64 in Scarborough, the A166 between Holtby and Wetwang, the A1034 between South Cave and the B1230 junction. The A66 between Penrith and Scotch Corner was also in bad condition and had to be closed. In February problems continued with 15cm of snowfall recorded in some areas and 20cm recorded on higher ground. Around 200 people had to be rescued after being stranded in their vehicles by blizzards on the A66 west of Bowes Village. The road was deemed impassable and had to be shut with 25-30 HGVs needing to be rescued. Two lorries also broke down between junction 46 and junction 47 on the A1 near Wetherby, forcing the closure of the road and there was also poor visibility on the M62 over the Pennines. Properties were affected throughout Yorkshire as the blizzards brought down electricity cables. Properties on high ground in the North York Moors were the worst hit, with several thousand homes from Whitby to Scarborough left without power. At one point 45,000 customers of CE Electric were left without power. Traffic was notably affected on the M18 at Rawcliffe, the M62 near Goole and on Hedon Road in Hull. In York Tanner Row off Rougier Street had to be closed as the weather was threatening to topple a weather vane with the bad weather continuing into April. Weather warnings were put out across Yorkshire, with at least 10cm of snow expected to fall over higher ground. Sheffield, Leeds and Barnsley were amongst the places hit by the heavy snowfall, with roads once again being affected. The A614 in East Yorkshire had to be closed between B1248 Station Road and Middleton-on-the-Wolds in Bainton and snowfall on the B6265 Grassington Road between the A65 junction and Skipton reduced traffic to a crawl. The A170 over the North York Moors was also badly affected and at one point the snow had completely blocked it.
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