2007 United Kingdom floods
A series of large floods occurred in parts of the United Kingdom during the summer of 2007. The worst of the flooding occurred across Scotland on 14 June; East Yorkshire and the Midlands on 15 June; Yorkshire, the Midlands, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire on 25 June; and Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and South Wales on 28 July 2007.
Severn flood 2007 Interview with ITN | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1 June 2007 – 28 July 2007 |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 13 |
| Damage | about £6.5 billion |
| Areas affected | (see below) |
June was one of the wettest months on record in the United Kingdom (see List of weather records). Average rainfall across the country was 5.5 inches (140 mm); more than double the June average. Some areas received a month's worth of precipitation in 24 hours. It was the UK's wettest May–July period since records began in 1776. July had unusually unsettled weather and above-average rainfall through the month, peaking on 20 July as an active frontal system dumped more than 4.7 inches (120 mm) of rain in southern England.
Civil and military authorities described the June and July rescue efforts as the biggest in the UK in peacetime. The Environment Agency described the July floods as critical and expected them to exceed the 1947 benchmark.