Coastal flooding
The force of the sea has shaped our coastline into what it is
today. Scotland has over 13000km of coastline, which includes
cliffs, dunes, sea lochs and rocky shorelines. Over the years,
coastal settlements have developed around our ports and harbours to
support industries such as fishing, agriculture, oil and gas.
Low-lying communities within our estuaries and along our coastline
are particularly vulnerable to flooding from the sea. SEPA
currently estimates that there are around 26,000 homes and
businesses at risk from coastal flooding in Scotland.
Current predictions for climate change anticipate an increase in
sea levels, storm surges and waves all around Scotland’s coastline;
however, this will affect some regions more than others. The
number of properties at risk is predicted to increase, as well as
the frequency and severity of flooding in our coastal
communities.
Coastal flood watch service
Our coastal Flood Watch service covers
nine broad coastal areas and are issued by SEPA flood warning duty
officers, based on the information that we receive from the Met
Office, Storm Tide Forecasting Service. This uses a model to
forecast sea levels around the coast based on predicted tides and
weather conditions. When the predicted sea levels suggest a risk of
flooding, flood watches are issued. This indicates that
localised flooding may occur within the next 12 to 24 hours (one or
two tidal cycles).
The flood warning scheme on the Firth of Clyde combines tidal
information, sea level data acquired from monitoring stations and
computer modelling of predicted scenarios. This is used to assess
the likelihood of flooding in communities covered by the
scheme.
How do I find out if a coastal Flood Watch has been
issued?
It is possible to find out if any alerts have been issued through
the Floodline information service on 0845 988 1188 or by clicking
here.
Contacting Floodline by telephone for the first time will involve
going through a menu of options to select the area you are
interested in. To save time, a list of all the quick-dial
numbers for coastal Flood Watch areas are listed below.
To use the quick-dial codes call 0845 988 1188, press option 1 and
enter the appropriate quick-dial code for your area. If you
experience difficulty in using the service, you can speak directly
to an operator by selecting ‘0’.
| Area |
Coastal Flood Watch Name |
Quick Dial No. |
| 1 |
The Solway coast from the Esk Estuary to the Mull of
Galloway |
06411 |
| 2 |
The Firth of Clyde coastal areas |
06412 |
| 3 |
The Firth of Lorn coast from Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan
Point |
06413 |
| 4 |
The West Coast from Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath including
the inner Hebrides and the east coast of the Western Isles |
06421 |
| 5 |
The West Coast of the Western Isles from Barra Head to Butt of
Lewis |
06422 |
| 6 |
Cape Wrath to Duncansby Head including Orkney Isles |
06431 |
| 7 |
Shetland Isles coast |
06432 |
| 8 |
The Moray Firth Coast from Duncansby Head to Peterhead |
0644 |
| 9 |
The East Coast of Scotland from Peterhead to
Berwick-Upon-Tweed |
0645 |
SEPA is looking at future development
of coastal flood warning schemes and is currently working on
identifying suitable communities. At the moment it is not possible
to provide detailed coastal flood warnings for all areas
because detailed forecast models and monitoring equipment are
required to design and implement a flood warning scheme, and these
must be targeted at specific at risk communities.
In the meantime, we have introduced coastal Flood Watch to provide
broad information to the whole of Scotland.