A wet day

The 3rd and 4th of september 2009 were very wet. Heavy rain fell continuously for 36 hours, and the city of Aberdeen recorded it's wettest day for 60 years, with over three inches of rain.

We live near the River Don, which flows from the hills of the northeastern Cairngorms to the North Sea at Aberdeen. It's normally a fairly placid river



But by the afternoon of the 4th, it had become a broad torrent of brown water roaring down the valley - the difference in level can be seen from the post on the bank, normally the base is well clear of the water.





The water was between three and four feet higher than normal; in nearby Morayshire, the River Lossie burst its banks and flooded many homes and businesses. We're fortunate that there are relatively few flood prone areas in Scotland; most of the topography is arranged in a way that can shift large volumes of floodwater quickly.

Two days later, the river Don was back to its normal levels.