No Low Water Today

[Frayed Knot]

Low water an hour or so ago here at Melton on the Deben.
Normally just a few inches of water in the gutway; today more than four feet - around the level of a very small neap high.
The level has dropped a bit since but the flow looks to be about 5kts. Nobody here who works on the river has ever seen anything so extreme in more than thirty years.

 

[fredrussell]

Strange, not much surge shown on HHA - just the strong southerly causing it?

 

[Frayed Knot]

Strange, not much surge shown on HHA - just the strong southerly causing it?

It’s flood-water from the upper reaches.
I wonder what will happen when it backs up against this afternoon’s high tide. Fortunately it’s not springs.

 

[Suffolk Explorer]

I agree with your estimate of 5 knots at Woodbridge mid morning. In over 40 years, I've never seen it flowing so fast.

 

[Frayed Knot]

I agree with your estimate of 5 knots at Woodbridge mid morning. In over 40 years, I've never seen it flowing so fast.

Now approx. 2hrs to HW & level is about where I’d expect it to be then + flow is still downstream

 

[Jan Harber]

It’s flood-water from the upper reaches.
I wonder what will happen when it backs up against this afternoon’s high tide. Fortunately it’s not springs.

There must be a huge amount of land water coming down from the upper reaches and tributaries of the Alde, Ore and Deben if yesterday’s flooding around Ufford, Tunstall, Debenham, Framlingham and several places along the A12 is anything to go by. Following the biblical rainfall there were torrents of muddy water cascading off all the fields around here ( Snape and Orford), just adding to flood water that was already flowing downstream.

 

[Leighb]

HW has been and gone here at Woodbridge, but was not especially high, altho' likely higher than predicted.

 

[14K478]

Considering the extent of silting in the upper Deben, a fierce scour on the ebb is surely very welcome?

This is the Ferry Dock in the early Fifties. The boat to the right of the picture is the “Dusmarie” but the great white thing alongside the Ferry Quay is the “Mariquita”, without her lead keel but still drawing a good nine feet!

 

[Frayed Knot]

HW has been and gone here at Woodbridge, but was not especially high, altho' likely higher than predicted.

My concern was for the areas above the estuary: Ufford, Wickham Market etc.

 

[14K478]

My concern was for the areas above the estuary: Ufford, Wickham Market etc.

Ufford has a good breadth of un-built upon water meadows.