Rod's Photos of the Severn Bore

My Photos
During a recent trip to the UK I was fortunate to witness the Severn bore on two occasions, on the mornings of 8th (photo below) and 9th September 1998. In each case the wave was predicted to be a 3* or medium wave (where the maximum is 5*). Viewing site was at Stonebench (map below) about 30 km upstream from the (ill defined) mouth of the Severn River. WOW!!!! What an experience. The speed and power of the wave and of the subsequent flow were amazing.

Continue to read on for some details of the bore or click on the dates to see the two full sequences of photographs that I took.

The Severn Bore
The map and following description were extracted from the web site of Severn Trent Water at http://www.severn-trent.com/rec_cons/severnbore.htm

"A tidal wave, or bore, occurs in the lower reaches of a few rivers during high tides. For a bore to form, a considerable rise in tide is needed in a converging channel with a rising river bed, forming a funnel shape. These conditions occur in the River Severn, forming the Severn Bore.

The Severn Estuary experiences the second highest tide anywhere in the world. The difference between the lowest and highest tide levels in any one day can be more than 14.5 metres. High or spring tides occur on several days in each lunar cycle throughout the year.

In the most favourable conditions, the Severn Bore may reach two metres in height. Opposing winds or high freshwater levels can considerably reduce its height and delay its time of arrival, whereas a following wind can increase the height and advance the time. The average speed of the bore is about 16 kilometres per hour. "