Record high tides pose flooding threat to Irish cities
Residents and businesses are battening down the hatches as higher than normal tides are forecast all week due to an alignment of the Earth, Moon and Sun, sending tides surging to up to 30% higher than normal levels.
Key areas at risk are the cities of Cork, Dublin, Galway and Waterford; as well as Carrick-on-Suir, Dundalk, and Drogheda. All low-lying areas, such as coastal or estuarine ports, are expected to be affected by the tides.
The Irish Water Safety Association has issued warnings to people living in coastal, estuarine and low-lying areas, including some practical advice on what to do if your home or business does get flooded.
The association’s chief executive John Leech said despite a forecasted high pressure, if there is a change to low pressure with strong winds, then we will experience higher than predicted tidal levels, which could cause severe problems in these areas.
However, Mr Leech said the shortage of rainfall will be an advantage.
“The lack of rain is a serious plus. Rain could have compounded the flood risk but what we are now anxious about the southerly winds. These could hold up the water in areas at risk of flooding,” he said.
Mr Leech is hopeful that the east coast will not be seriously affected.
Areas at risk of flooding have already begun efforts to battle the expected high tides.
There are already sandbags in place in the aptly-named Flood Street in Galway city.
Meanwhile, Dublin City Council has had its contingency plan in place since the weekend to address the forecasted tides.
Engineers and drainage personnel in the capital have been put on 24-hour standby, and mobilisation procedures are in place so that personnel and resources can be deployed immediately should flooding occur.
This week’s tides are expected to be slightly lower than the highest tide of the 20th century, which occurred in 1993. A similar high tide occurred in 1998 and the next will occur in 2007.
Last February’s severe flooding in Dublin’s Ringsend and North Strand areas resulted from a combination of predicted high tide levels, coupled with wind direction and very low atmospheric pressure.
This flooding was caused by spring tides, which are the high tides that occur at each full and new moon.
They are also equinoctial tides, occurring just after the autumn equinox on September 23, which would normally bring the highest tides of the year.
This particular combination results in extremely high, predicted tides that occur approximately every four to five years.
The tides are set to peak in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
