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Wick battered by tidal surge





The breakwater at Wick withstands a pounding from the storm. Photo: Alan Hendry
The breakwater at Wick withstands a pounding from the storm. Photo: Alan Hendry

TIDAL storms that hit the east Caithness coast at the weekend have been described as among the worst recorded as clean-up operations got under way on Monday.

Waves of up to 25 feet, swept in by strong winds, caused flooding and washed up debris around the Wick harbour area, where roads were closed off.

Highland Council staff were out in force on Monday to deal with the aftermath, with Wick worst affected by the extreme weather.

The storms were not as destructive as 14 months ago, when almost £890,000 of damage was caused to nine Caithness ports in what many viewed as the worst storm in living memory. It was estimated that the high tide on Saturday was between 50 to 80 centimetres bigger than expected as a result of low pressure hovering across the North Sea. Wick River bursts its banks, which forced the closure of Martha Terrace, while flooding also occurred at The Shore and Scalesburn.

Wick Harbour Authority chairman Willie Watt said in some respects the storm was worse than the one which hit in December 2012, but added the extent of the damage would not be known until an investigation is carried out. "There has been no obvious damage but a lot of things have been thrown about," he said.

"Until we can get out with a boat and do a proper survey, we can’t see anything that is obviously broken.

"We have never seen such a high surge in the harbour, and going along the river harbour that was evident by the flooding taking place at The Shore.

"It was a phenomenal water level, relentless. The harbour has seen a lot of south-easterly winds over the last couple of weeks."

Mr Watt added: "In some respects it wasn’t as bad as 2012, but in others it was slightly worse. It was definitely up there in terms of one of the worst storms Wick has experienced. There was a lot of energy coming through Wick Bay and the harbour walls would have felt a lot of pressure over the last couple of weeks."

Highland Council had no reports of any major damage at any of its eight harbours in Caithness.

A spokesman said: "We’ve received no reports of damage to any of the council ports, but that is not to say there hasn’t been. We will be out inspecting the ports as soon as we can."

Lybster Harbour was unaffected, with Friends of Lybster Harbour secretary Jay Mackay saying it avoided the tidal surge. "The worst of the swell bypassed Lybster and it seem to hit further north," he said.

Police Scotland said spectators who went to watch the huge waves crashing in at The Shore and at Scalesburn were potentially putting their lives at risk.

A spokesman said some people had put themselves in a potentially dangerous situation.

"Police in Wick are seeking to remind members of the public about the possible dangers associated with flooding after a number of people have been reported sightseeing near The Shore and Scalesburn areas of Wick, and may be placing themselves at significant risk," he said.

"The public have been asked to consider not only their own safety but also that of the emergency services, in what could end up as a potentially life-threatening situation."

Why the waves have been so big

THE unusually high waves and flooding in the east of Caithness recently is all due to a block of high pressure over Russia and north-eastern Europe.

Local meteorologist Keith Banks has been keeping an eye on the weather systems across the world and says the recent upsets can be put down to a stand-off between an anticyclone and a series of depressions sweeping in from the Atlantic.

He said: "In broad terms at the moment and for the last 10 days, there has been a great block of high pressure over Russia, preventing the low pressure areas from the Atlantic moving north-eastwards as they usually do.

"Mild Atlantic air is coming up against the cold continental air creating a squeeze, and there has been a strengthening of the wind. Strong winds are travelling across quite a long distance with an uninterrupted passage over the Atlantic.

"The greater the distance winds travel over the sea, the more energy they transfer to the water, allowing the waves to build up in the way they have."

Mr Banks said the situation was not being helped because of local factors.

Things were made worse by the fact that Wick Bay was very shallow, with some very high tides surging in. "It’s a combination of things," he said. "The huge waves themselves have been caused by the wind creating a very pronounced swell. You can see the swell running very high.

"Say, for example, there was a sudden change in wind direction – you would still see that swell in the sea for two or three days because of the amount of energy transferred to it from the wind.

"Certainly over the next few days there are no signs of the block over Russia giving way.

"That means we will keep the strong south-easterly airflow."


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