Storm Ciara – Live updates

The River Ouse is set to peak tomorrow (Tuesday), below its all time high.

According to York Central MP Rachael Maskell, the Ouse now expected to peak at 5am to the level of 4.2m.

She tweeted that this is the level it reached in early December 2015 with Storm Desmond. The one that brought the devastating Boxing Day floods that year was Storm Eva.

Her tweet at 2.19pm came shortly after this graphic from the Flood Warning Information Service, suggesting a peak at 5.45am of 4.42m.

Ms Maskell wrote: “The incident room at the Environment Agency is open. I thank the staff for their hard work over the weekend.”

Here’s another victim of Storm Ciara.

The high winds have felled a large mature tree on Acomb Green.

The tree, thought to be an oak, was photographed by Gavin Aitchison this morning (Monday).

More on York readying its flood defences, first mentioned at 4.55pm.

City of York Council has issued a statement outlining the latest safety measures in the light of rising river levels.

“With river levels predicted to rise to the highest levels seen since the 2015 floods, the council has been putting in defences to protect those areas most affected,” it says.

That means putting sandbags in place at:

• Clementhorpe
• Tower Gardens
• and Tower Place, which also gets a pump to clear water.

Flood boards have been installed at Peckitt Street.

Further measures like the closure of St George’s Field car park and Rowntree Park are likely to happen in the early hours of tomorrow, although plans will be revised if the forecasts change.

Councillor Paula Widdowson, executive member for climate change, said:

• We’re expecting the river to reach high levels tomorrow afternoon, so a flood warning is now just a matter of when rather than if.

  As a city, we’ve spent a lot of time and effort preparing for flood risk so we can protect people and property so, by and large, we should be able to get on with daily life.

  We’re putting place the local and citywide flood defences, and any residents or businesses at risk of flooding should also put their own flood plans in place.

  It’ll be business as usual for York tomorrow, just take extra care on the roads and remember that riverside paths and cycle ways are likely to be affected as river levels rise.
  

Two useful websites – the council’s flood advice page, and the national flood warnings site.

Unsurprisingly, we have more flood alerts from the Environment Agency.

It issued an alert for the River Foss catchment at 6.46pm.

The agency said:

• River levels have risen and are likely to remain high overnight. Avoid using low lying footpaths near local watercourses.

  We are monitoring the situation closely.
  

There are now five flood alerts around York, concerning:

• Lower River Nidd
• River Foss catchment
• Tidal River Ouse from Naburn Lock to Selby
• Upper River Derwent
• Upper River Ouse