What happened in the 1953 storm surge?
The worst natural disaster in modern British history occurred on the night of January 31, 1953. A tidal surge caused the North Sea to rise up to five metres above its average level, which led to widespread flooding along the east coast of Britain, particularly south of Yorkshire.
Where did the 1953 storm surge impact and how many people were killed and or affected?
North Sea flood, the worst storm surge on record for the North Sea, occurring Jan. 31 to Feb. 1, 1953. In the Netherlands some 400,000 acres (162,0000 hectares) flooded, causing at least 1,800 deaths and widespread property damage.
How many people died in the North Sea flood in 1953?
307 people died
The scale of the flooding was unprecedented. In England there were 1,200 breaches of sea defenses, 140,000 acres of land were flooded, 32,000 people were evacuated, 24,000 properties were damaged, 46,000 livestock were killed, and 307 people died.
What happened in the Netherlands in 1953?
The flood of 1953 was the greatest natural disaster to occur in the Netherlands in the 20th century. The combination of a heavy north-westerly storm and a spring tide caused flooding in large parts of the country.
What caused the east coast floods?
Causes of storms and floods in NSW East coast lows are when an intense low-pressure system develops off Australia’s east coast. These are the main cause of severe storms in the coastal areas of NSW and often causes gale-force winds, heavy rainfall and dangerous surf conditions.
How did the 2013 storm surge compare to the 1953 event?
The 1953 storm had a more southerly track and generated bigger waves due to the north-northwesterly onshore winds off East Anglia. The 2013 storm had a more west-to-east path from the north Atlantic to Scandinavia. Consequently, the 1953 high waters were more extreme in the southern North Sea.
What caused the East coast floods?
What happened in 1953 the big flood in the Netherlands in retrospect?
During the weekend of Saturday 31 January to Sunday 1 February 1953, a storm tide raged across the northwest European shelf and flooded the low-lying coastal areas of the countries around the North Sea. The peak high waters occurred during the night and the storm surprised many people in their sleep.
When was the last East Coast low?
5–6 June 2016 An east coast low combined with a King tide brought severe coastal damage, notably to Collaroy and Coogee, New South Wales along with flooding along the east coast and later severe flooding to Tasmania.
Is there another east coast low forming?
And this low pressure trough isn’t done yet. It’s forecast to create a second east coast low that will develop over the weekend and affect the NSW south coast, bringing rain that could once again extend to the greater Sydney area and also to to the Hunter region.
What caused the 2013 storm surge?
The combination of low pressure and strong winds led to a significant storm surge which propagated southwards with the high spring tide along the east coast of Scotland (Wick: 1245 UTC, 5 December 2013) and then England (Lowestoft: 2230 UTC), continuing around the southern North Sea to affect the coasts of Belgium ( …
Why do storm surges occur in the North Sea?
The main cause of a storm surge is high winds pushing the seawater towards the coast, causing it to pile up there. There is also a smaller contribution from the low pressure at the centre of the storm “pulling” the water level up, by about 1 cm for every 1 millibar change in pressure.