The Weather at Howhill

The third flash flood for the Alston area within a week on the 23rd July 2007. At around 1400 there was a light thunderstorm at Howhill, just 3mm of rain in about an hour. But up on the southern flank of Flinty Fell and Yadd Moss considerably more rain fell, that area is the catchment of Ash Gill that flows down into the South Tyne before Garrigill.

In this event Garrgill Burn and the other small gills that caused the damage in Garrgill on the 17th and drain the northern side of Flinty Fell hardly rose at all. This illustrates the very localised nature of these intense down pours. There appears to have been a lot of errosion near the top of Yadd Moss a large black scar has replaced a previously green valley. Ash Gill at Ash Gill Falls on the B6277 was reported to have been running black during the earlier stages of the flash flood.

The other flash floods:
17th July 2007 Knarsdale (Photos).
19th July 2007 Garrigill (Photos, Graphs).

View from the bridge carrying the B6277 over the top of Ash Gill Falls. The water level has dropped a little by the time this photo was taken, the grass to the right of the rocks at the top of the falls has been flattend by the flow of water over it.

The plume of mist is rising from the base of the falls nearly 50' below.

Looking up stream from the road bridge above Ash Gill Falls. About very minute or so you could hear the muffled clunk conk of the 18" dia boulders that form the bed of the gill here being moved.

Ash Gill Falls from below. This one of the few water falls in the UK where you can walk around behind the water and look out through the curtain. I wasn't going to attempt that today.

This ford carries Little Gill over the road approximately a mile above Ash Gill Falls. The water level has fallen considerably here, at least a foot as shown by the debris wrapped around the posts above the fall. Also the grass and nettles foreground left have been completely flattened by the water.

Large rocks have been moved by the water, two are just to the right of the tree root bowl on the far side of the fall.