Tagged with: River
Posts (13)
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Swollen rivers and more rain to come
Derek Brockway
I've decided I don't like January - it's dark when you wake up and dark when you go home at night. Roll on Spring I say and hopefully some better weather too! The rain I promised yesterday has well and truly arrived with warnings of heavy rain up and down the country. In the 12 hours leading up to midday today, 24mm of rain has already fallen at Mumbles Head weather station in Swansea, so just under an inch. 20 mm of rain was recorded at Capel Curig in Snowdonia and there's plenty more rain to come so some large rainfall totals are expected. The heaviest rain will be in the south and west and Mid Wales. Typically 40 to 60 mm by the end of today with over 100 mm on higher ground in Powys, Ceredigion and Gwynedd. Some rivers are already swollen and at the time of writing, there are seven flood alerts in force across Wales and this number is set to rise. The River Dee at Llangollen during the floods in 2009. Image by Dave on Flickr. The reason for the current heavy rain is an active front spreading through southern England tomorrow, bringing plenty of moisture in from Atlantic. Tonight the heavy rain will ease but more heavy rain is expected tomorrow in South Wales. Based on the latest information, another 60 - 80mm of rain is predicted in the Neath, Port Talbot and Bridgend area with a risk of 100 mm (4 inches) in the south west Brecon Beacons with extensive low cloud, mist and hill fog so drive carefully. For Mid Wales, the north and east should be drier tomorrow with some drizzle in the west. Friday will bring some respite from the rain with drier, brighter conditions and the odd blustery shower. On Saturday, more rain is expected with the heaviest rain falling in the north and west accompanied by strong to gale force winds. Sunday will start wet and windy but it should turn drier and brighter during the afternoon. Take care Derek
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A good soaking over the next few days
Derek Brockway
Last year was drier than average in Wales. Dennis Smith from Llandeilo recorded just 39 inches of rain over 12 months but it's going to be anything but dry over the next few days...and we could expect to see up to 6 inches falling on higher ground. It is however going to turn milder (which wi...
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A Wye Wye Wye wonder
Martin Aaron
Remember the UK River Vote I mentioned back in August? Well the votes have been counted and a Welsh river has taken the top spot! The River Wye was voted the public's favourite river in Wales and England with voters describing it as "magical and timeless" and "a haven for wildlife". The Wy...
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Cast your vote into a river
Martin Aaron
The Our Rivers campaign was launched last year to campaign for clean, healthy rivers across England and Wales and not long after - a Government report found that 74% of rivers were failing to meet European environmental targets. The report found that just 5% of rivers in England and Wales were ...
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British Waterways want kingfisher spotters
Martin Aaron
British Waterways is after nature lovers who can take time to note the wildlife they see at their local waterway, be it canal, river or stream. And this year the organisation is placing special emphasis on the kingfisher, which may have suffered a decline in numbers because of this year's harsh winter weather.
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Cleaner rivers for Wales by 2015?
Martin Aaron
The Environment Agency Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government have announced ambitious plans to improve all waterways in Wales by 2015 and return them to a "near natural" condition by 2027. They aim to ensure water companies, farming groups, industry and councils work together to tackle pollution. Here are some recent water quality findings from the Environment Agency website: Biological quality - an indicator of overall 'health' of rivers "Our aim is to get as many rivers as possible iclassed as excellent or good. In 2008, 72% of English rivers were at this level - the best on record, this is up from 55% in 1990". "88% of Welsh rivers were of good or excellent quality - again, the best on record, compared with 79% in 1990". Chemical quality - an indicator of organic pollution in general "In 2008 79% of English rivers were at excellent or good quality, up from 55% in 1990". "95% of Welsh rivers were of good or better quality, up from 86% in 1990". Nutrient status - phosphate and nitrate in rivers "Our aim is to continue to reduce the number of rivers with high concentrations of nutrients. High concentrations are classed as greater than 0.1mg/l for phosphate and 30mg/l for nitrate". "In 2008, 51% of English rivers had high concentrations of phosphate compared with 69% in 1990. High concentrations of nitrate were found in 32% of English rivers in 2008 compared with 36% in 1995". "8.5% of Welsh rivers had high concentrations of phosphate in 2008, compared 26% in 1990. High concentrations of nitrate rarely occur in Welsh rivers". It sounds like great news for Welsh rivers, wildlife, anglers and other water sport enthusiasts if all of the proposed plans are effective. The implications are huge especially for rivers where overflow pipes, agricultural run off and sewage can be a problem during and after heavy rain fall. So what condition is your local river in? Does it support a good eco-system or is it in dire need of a clean up? I'd love to hear your views and comments. You can read more about this story on BBC News online. Gull
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Photos: Swollen rivers
Derek Brockway
The rivers are swollen throughout Wales thanks to all this rain. I've had these photos in from reader Colin Roberts who says, "This is the river Dee in Llangollen which passes the bottom of our garden:" Derek
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Why ice can be nice
Jody Bourton
It's been an eye-wateringly cold start to 2009. However this has led to some glorious crisp days and with the sun low in the sky it brings out all the shapes and contours of the surrounding countryside. If you take a camera out with you it makes for some great photo opportunities. Like many ...
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See a salmon spectacle
Jody Bourton
I've just heard that salmon are now spawning on the rivers Wye and Usk after their epic journey. This is one of the few stages of salmon migration that you can actually witness for yourself. In Wales, a good place to see them right now is on the river Usk at Brecon promenade.
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The eel's mammoth journey
Jody Bourton
When I was a boy messing about on the River Taff (at the weir just near the Millennium Stadium) I remember distinctly finding a tiny eel, but at the time I wasn't sure what it was. It was in fact a juvenile eel called an 'elver'.
