River Severn navigational warnings??

[Theo]

Met a man in a boat.  He helped us through a lock as we approach Worcester.  He told us he had been warned to get off the Severn because in 24 hours the river levels will be high and the yellow boards will be out and may be red soon.  He also said that he is a volunteer lockie and CRT had contacted him.

 

We intend to go to Gloucester so this concerned us so I looked at the river levels and trends and warnings.  Nothing to alarm us on there.  Does anyone know anything different?

 

I am beginning to think that he was having us on.  Or was he correct and had more info that we do?

 

Nick

And then I find this on the CRT web site:

 

• Water levels River Severn - Lock 2 Gloucester to Upperlode Lock

  /notices/20932-water-levels-river-severn-lock-2-gloucester-to-upperlode-lock

  Please be advised that due to rising water levels The River Severn navigation is now closed between Gloucester Lock and Upper Lode Lock. We'll continue to monitor the situation and update this notice as soon as possible.

I am confused!

 

N

I then clicked on the link for the CRT warning.  It was for November 2021!  Web sites are useless if they give misleading information.

 

N

[StephenA]

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/boating/notices-and-stoppages/water-level-and-strong-stream-warnings

 

 

the notice you link to is  nearly 2 years old

 

and the EA data we pull into Canalplan shows

 

 

Bewdley is showing normal on the EA site, and Barbourne is showing low. However that doesn't mean there isn't a surge coming down from Wales which will take a day or so to arrive

Edited July 16, 2023 by StephenA

[NB Alnwick]

23 minutes ago, StephenA said:

Bewdley is showing normal on the EA site, and Barbourne is showing low. However that doesn't mean there isn't a surge coming down from Wales which will take a day or so to arrive

 

Mid Wales has had some very heavy rain and that means that water levels will rise but there should be more than enough time to get to the safety of Gloucester Docks and the Sharpness Canal

[ditchcrawler]

35 minutes ago, Theo said:

 

I then clicked on the link for the CRT warning.  It was for November 2021!  Web sites are useless if they give misleading information.

 

N

How did you manage to find that, it didn't come up when I checked the CRT website for the next two weeks as I am also going that way.

[Theo]

4 minutes ago, NB Alnwick said:

 

Mid Wales has had some very heavy rain and that means that water levels will rise but there should be more than enough time to get to the safety of Gloucester Docks and the Sharpness Canal

So whne do you think that the surge will reach Worcester?

 

N

[StephenA]

10 minutes ago, Theo said:

So whne do you think that the surge will reach Worcester?

 

N

 

I think it usually takes a 12 hours or so from Ironbridge down to Bridgenorth. Levels are showing as rising north of Shrewsbury - but even that doesn't look extreme.

 

 

Edited July 16, 2023 by StephenA

[blackrose]

I don't know about the Severn but when I lived on the Warks Avon it was always a good 20 hours between heavy rain and river levels starting to rise significantly.

[NB Alnwick]

We got caught up when there were severe floods at Worcester in, I think, the Summer of 2007.

We had been on our way to Saul for the 'Folk on the Water Festival' - we had to turn round and head back.

As I recall the water rose about 48 hours after heavy rain had caused flooding above Shrewsbury.

[Theo]

Thanks all.

 

StephenA, would you post a link for the graph that you showed, please?

 

N

[StephenA]

3 minutes ago, Theo said:

Thanks all.

 

StephenA, would you post a link for the graph that you showed, please?

 

N

 

 

https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/station/2067

 

from their main map

 

https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/station/2067?v=map&lyr=mv,ri,ti,gr,rf,tw,ta,ts&fid=stations.2067&ext=-2.785292,52.449804,-2.197379,52.658795

[john6767]

In similar circumstances with rain and at the same time of the year about 8 years ago we ended pup having to stop at Upton and spending three or four days there while the river went up 10ft.  If you decide to make a run for Gloucester, assuming that you at Worcester now, I don’t thing you will get there until Wednesday, as Gloucester lock like the whole G&S is closed on Tuesdays.  Perhaps it is possible to get from Diglis to Gloucester lock in the 10 hour opening window tomorrow, but you need to be certain!  Is Diglis lock working ok now, it was broken last week?

[StephenA]

4 minutes ago, john6767 said:

In similar circumstances with rain and at the same time of the year about 8 years ago we ended pup having to stop at Upton and spending three or four days there while the river went up 10ft.  If you decide to make a run for Gloucester, assuming that you at Worcester now, I don’t thing you will get there until Wednesday, as Gloucester lock like the whole G&S is closed on Tuesdays.  Perhaps it is possible to get from Diglis to Gloucester lock in the 10 hour opening window tomorrow, but you need to be certain!  Is Diglis lock working ok now, it was broken last week?

 

Small lock still U/S but big one is open

 

28 miles, 6½ furlongs and 2 locks from Diglis Locks to Gloucester Docks.

 

 

Edited July 16, 2023 by StephenA

[Graham Davis]

We have had very localised heavy rain up here just below the source of the Severn and the river hasn't got that much higher.  
From past experience it takes at least 72 hours for level increases here to be felt at Worcester.

Edited July 16, 2023 by Graham Davis

[Rob-M]

When we moored at Saul we used to do Gloucester docks to Worcester or Worcester to Gloucester in a day during the summer.  Had to make sure we were at the river lock for 8am to make it although the Worcester to Gloucester was always quicker as heading downstream.

[StephenA]

1 minute ago, Rob-M said:

When we moored at Saul we used to do Gloucester docks to Worcester or Worcester to Gloucester in a day during the summer.  Had to make sure we were at the river lock for 8am to make it although the Worcester to Gloucester was always quicker as heading downstream.

 

We used to do Upton to Sharpness in a day.

[john6767]

1 hour ago, Rob-M said:

When we moored at Saul we used to do Gloucester docks to Worcester or Worcester to Gloucester in a day during the summer.  Had to make sure we were at the river lock for 8am to make it although the Worcester to Gloucester was always quicker as heading downstream.

Whilst I guess still doable, there are two hours less of lock opening hours now than there used to be.  I was just making sure that that the OP was factoring that in, you would not want to arrive at Gloucester after the lock closed on a Monday and waiting until Wednesday morning on the wall as the river goes into flood!

[Francis Herne]

 I did Gloucester to Worcester on the short hours last autumn. Left Gloucester lock at 8.45am and entered Diglis lock 3.50pm with no stops (not even Upper Lode, it was on a level...). Tide speeded things up on the lower half, but above Upton was very slow on a falling yellow.

 

I'm at Worcester again now in fact - Diglis river pontoon at the north end. Not an expert on the river, but so far I'm not too worried and still plan to head downriver in a couple of days. I'm definitely keeping an eye on the online level gauges linked above though.

 

Those online charts are really helpful, but the dotted-line forecast is often very pessimistic. If there's been rain it always predicts a sharp large rise, most often followed by the real level rising minimally if at all. Bit of a 'boy who cried wolf' situation - it might eventually be right, but that's no use because I don't believe it any more. Just keep looking at the real values further upstream.

 

EDIT:

Buildwas https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/station/2058

Bewdley https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/station/2001

click the 'upstream' or 'downstream' links for more.

 

Note that Upton Blues Festival is on this coming weekend, so mooring there will be "interesting". I'm hoping to stop for it but the raft of boats may have got out of hand by then.

Edited July 17, 2023 by Francis Herne

[Graham Davis]

Severn had risen over the last 18 hours here up at the head, but has started falling now.

[matty40s]

On 16/07/2023 at 21:52, StephenA said:

 

We used to do Upton to Sharpness in a day.

Normal people eh...

[Francis Herne]

I see you went for it! Good luck, have fun. I like Theodora's huge cratch/small hold.

Edited July 18, 2023 by Francis Herne

[Theo]

We have come to the conclusion that the young man, who said that he was a volockie, was having us on deliberately or had ben fed alarmist information.

 

He said that 24 hrs before he saw us he had been warned by CRT to get off the river in 48hrs and that was 24hrs ago.

 

The Severn is a pussycat today.  Had an excellent run down and are moored overnight below the Avon Lock.  On down to Gloucester tomorrow.  That'll be new water for us.  We haven't done the Severn below Tewkesbury before.

 

Thanks as ever for all the advice.  CWF never fails to be helpful.

 

N

[Rob-M]

The run down to Gloucester is a bit dull, the keeper at Upper Lode may give you an information leaflet for approaching Gloucester.  You will see a sign at the partings to give them a call so they know you are close, we usually give another call later to double check if the lock will be open ready to enter but regardless of what the lockie says be prepared to stop alongside the wall on the chains as I've had a couple of times been told the lock will be open but as I've come round the final bend there was a red light and the gates were closed.

[Francis Herne]

It's definitely flowing faster than last week, but that was very slow indeed.

 

"Alarmist information" from CRT wouldn't be surprising; probably someone in head office was looking at the useless level forecasts I mentioned above and applying zero direct knowledge as seems normal these days.

 

What was the mooring situation like at Upton on the way down? I'm still hoping to squeeze on there somehow later in the week.