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Throughout the winter of 2013/2014, a suc- cession of vigorous low pressure systems crossed the UK. This resulted in the wettest winter on record for the UK (since records began in 1910), by a considerable margin, and the stormiest for the UK and Ireland .
The persistent heavy rainfall, combined with strong winds, high tides and storm surge conditions, severely impacted many parts of the country. The winter was distinctive for the occurrence of multiple types of flooding. Pluvial, fluvial, ground water and coastal flooding all affected the UK, sometimes simultaneously, although the relative importance of these sources of flooding varied geographically and over the course of the winter. The winter was also nota- ble for the exceptional duration of flooding and the high profile that the severe weather impacts commanded. From late December until late February, flooding was at the fore- front of the media spotlight and received a high level of public and political attention. This paper outlines the hydrological aspects of the 2013/2014 winter flooding in the UK, as well as the impacts. The epi- sode is considered in a long-term historical context and wider issues raised by the flood events are discussed briefly. Companion papers focus on the meteorological char- acteristics (Kendon and McCarthy, 2015) and coastal dimensions of the winter storms. Taken together, these papers provide a comprehensive overview of the winter weather patterns and their impacts on the UK.
The National Hydrological Monitoring Programme (NHMP) forms the source of much of the material discussed in this paper. The NHMP collates data for 104 index river flow gauging stations and 37 index groundwater boreholes in the UK, and produces monthly Hydrological Summaries.
The data submitted to the NHMP are provi- sional, and therefore any records mentioned in this paper may be subject to change. In addition, this paper refers to total outflows for Great Britain and its constituent countries (as featured routinely in the monthly sum- maries), calculated using a method described in Marsh and Dixon (2012).
The winter storms of 2013/2014 in the UK: hydrological responses and impacts
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