Storm Henk: An end to the flooding?

Flood warnings have been issued up and down the country, but will we finally have a true ‘dry January’?

The floods are a result of an area of low pressure called ‘Storm Henk’, which was concentrated in the south of England. Strong winds reached up to 94 miles per hour, and heavy rainfall saw roads closed, trees felled and even shut schools.

Flooding in Oxfordshire (Image Credit: Iris Rogers)

A relentlessly soggy new year is no surprise to the Brits, especially with the Thames dominating the news after the storm caused it to break its banks. The Cam has also flooded, though to a lesser extent.

Small villages surrounding Cambridge have seen more severe flooding than central Cambridge on the whole. As of today there are currently no weather warnings covering Cambridge, meaning hope for tote bag wielding humanities students and anyone who needs to cycle to West Cambridge.

However, there was disruption to the rowing scene, with Newnham’s boat storage being flooded, and many clubs dealing with high water levels unable to row due to poor visibility of the bank.

Churchill, King’s, Selwyn and the Leys boathouses flooded (Image Credit: Screenshot via Rowbridge Reborn)

Luckily, the Cam does not run through central Cambridge, which mitigates most of the risk. However, there was still a Met Office flood warning for Mill Lane, and the lower part of the river Cam generally had more flood warnings.

The Met Office predicts below ten percent chance of rainfall over the next three days, meaning there is unlikely to be more flooding in the imminent future.

Featured Image Credit: Screenshots via Selwyn College Cambridge and Rowbridge Reborn

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