[url=http://weldgen.tripod.com/the-great-flood-1968/index.html]Click for story [/url] said:
.....Wednesday 10th July . Disaster Day. A date that lives vividly in the memories of those who experienced the Great Flood of '68.
Heavy rain had been falling for most of the day and by mid-evening, accompanied by thunder and lightning had reached torrential proportions in Bristol and North Somerset.
It was in fact, the worst rainstorm to hit the area in over half a century with more than five inches of rain falling in several districts in less than 24 hrs.
This enormous storm started as a heavy downpour over Brittany France, reached its peak over Bristol and South West England and finally drenched Holland on Thursday afternoon.
· Rainfall figures were exceptional, the following levels were recorded during the storm: Bath 6.29 inches, Nempnett Thrubwell 6.8 inches, Chew Stoke 68 inches (in 6% hours): compare with an average of less than 1.5 inches during the whole of July the previous year. -
At the bottom of Harptree Hill, underground pressure caused by the volume of water rushing down from the Mendips forced holes through the road and caused waterspouts over six feet high.
· The Chew Valley Lake absorbed an extra 471 million gallons from its 14,000 catchment acres as a result of the storm. A Bristol Waterworks spokesman said that despite this and the resultant rise in level of 1 foot 7 inches the lake was still capable of absorbing a further 350 to 400 million gallons before reaching its capacity of 4,500 million gallons.
· One inch of rainfall is equivalent to approx' 100 tons of water per acre. With parts of the west country receiving between five and seven inches overnight it is not hard to visualise the sheer weight of water tearing down the valleys.
