The 1993 Perth flood (also known as the Great Tay Flood) was caused by the River Tay, Scotland's longest river, rising to 6.48 m (21 ft 3 in) above its normal level, with a flow of 2,268 m3/s (80,100 cu ft/s). It occurred on 17 January 1993, in Perth, Scotland, after heavy snowfall, from blizzards experienced six days earlier,[1] had melted.[2] The flood almost broke the record for the height of the Tay's waters (set in 1814, when it rose 7 m (23 ft) above normal).[3] A flood had occurred three years earlier, in February 1990, but the peak flow of the 1993 event was estimated to have been around 30% higher.[4]

1993 Perth flood
Flood water levels inscribed into Smeaton's Bridge, which spans the River Tay at Perth
Date17 January 1993 (31 years ago) (1993-01-17)
LocationPerth, Scotland

An estimated 50 square kilometres (19 sq mi) of farmland was flooded, along with large-scale damage to residential and commercial properties.[4] Over 1,500 people had to abandon their homes.[5]

Another high level of the Tay's water, this time in 2008

The flood caused damage amounting to around £10 million.[6] The city installed flood defences, which were completed in 2001, at a cost of around £25 million.[3][7]

References edit

  1. ^ Snow in Perth 1993, retrieved 13 October 2023
  2. ^ "Perthshire: Floods (Hansard, 28 January 1993)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b Black, Andrew (18 January 2018). "Remembering the Great Tay Flood of January 1993". Dundee Hydrology. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b The Great Tay Flood of January 1993 – A. R. Black and J. L. Anderson
  5. ^ Brown, Kate (17 January 2023). "Dramatic pictures show devastation wreaked by the Great Tay Flood in 1993". The Courier. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  6. ^ "BBC Two - Bitesize: Geography, River Tay - flooding". BBC. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  7. ^ Black, Andrew. "Remembering the Great Tay Flood of January 1993". Dundee Hydrology. Retrieved 21 January 2023.

External links edit