A Case Study In Rain: Yeovilton (part 1)

My locality floods quite easily, being the Somerset Levels. After persistent rain and extensive flooding I take a concerned look at rainfall data held at Yeovilton.

UK citizens who watch the daily news on the telly will have seen reports on the recent extensive flooding of the Somerset Levels (our lane is closed to traffic as I type). The thing about the Levels is that they have been reclaimed from the sea over a period of time with ingenious constructions like drainage ditches (called ‘drains’ if they’re bigger and ‘rhynes’ if they’re smaller) and pump houses and whatnot. Drainage ditches of some kind border pretty much every field, and if you’re not careful you’ll find yourself in one knee deep if the scrumpy has gone to your head!

Herewith an example of that watery network:

Here’s the BBC reporting on the recent flooding, and here’s their arch-rival ITV doing the very same. You can perhaps see why we decided to swap our swanky SAAB 93 Aero HOT for a battered old Land Rover Freelander Mk.1 that is capable of handling 16” flooding (40.6cm in new money).

Situations like this are devastating to farmers and residents alike and the concern is that clim…