Unseasonal

The weekend should’ve been sunny and warm. After all, August is only just behind us. Instead, it was wet and cool.

And with only one week of high summer sun and hardly an August day passing without rain, the conditions are ripe for another year 2000 flood. Then, as now, the high land above Rhuthun was so saturated and the water table so high that it could take no more without water spilling out onto roads and lanes and without it swelling local rivers to and beyond their banks.

And we saw it over the weekend. Remember, it’s early September! The Clwyd was almost at the top of its banks on Saturday morning but 24 hours later had receded though was still high. Likewise, the Clywedog. The waterfall at Bontuchel’s always a barometer and its brown, heavy ferment rushed, roared and swirled to swell the Clwyd. The garden shed just beneath the falls wasn’t flooded as sometimes it can be but the level was remarkable for early September. The Clwyd catchment passed from Flood Watch to All Clear on Sunday morning.

Field run off was considerable from Friday to Sunday and probably will continue this week. This contributes to some significant ponding and surface water on our local highways and byways. Conditions on some roads on Friday resulted in water-born grit and debris strewn across main roads. Don’t bother to wash your car just yet!

And remember this isn’t November. We’ve only just left August behind. Early September is often warm and settled. Yet, here we have green grass that’s normally parched after the summer. The usually dry ponds are full. And, next week’s certain to be unsettled, especially tomorrow and Thursday.

Can we therefore expect a rerun of the 2000 floods? Then, a retaining wall at Pwllglas collapsed, houses at Eyarth flooded and a culvert went near the Llanbedr Smithy. The town was cut off and reached the national UK news. At least Mwrog Street will stay dry this time...