It started as an ordinary Sunday afternoon. My wife and I visited Manchester Fort in Cheetham Hill for an hour or so then returned home at around 3pm. The weather was humid and sticky so I poured myself an iced fruit drink then sat down to watch some of the Olympics action.
I decided to watch the Murray v Federer match competing for the gold medal. At a somewhat surprising 2 sets to love lead for Murray, the ubiquitous Clare Balding announced that she didn't want to worry viewers but there were reports of a huge storm in the Midlands area which may reach Wimbledon. This was of no concern to me as Manchester was cloudy but dry.
Midway through the third set the sky outside my window became much darker. At the same time, Ms Balding stated that all was well as the storm was heading North and not to London (that's alright then!). As Murray closed in on victory it started to rain outside and slowly got heavier. By the time Murray won the match the rain had become torrential and was now accompanied by thunder and lightning. It started to look a bit worrying so I went outside to the patio-ed area at the back of the house to make sure the drains were coping with the downpour. After about 5 minutes it was apparent that our 2 drains were holding up well so I switched my attention to the front of the house and the street beyond. Surprisingly a lake had formed in the crossroads about 50 yards to the left of the house. There then followed a series of blinding flashes and simultaneous explosions indicating that this storm was directly overhead. This was followed by a hailstorm which was so intense I couldn't see the opposite side of the street. I stood in the front doorway as it clearly wasn't safe to go any further at this stage.
The sky overhead was almost black and the enormous intensity of the hail and torrential rain carried on for a further 15 minutes or so when I realised the level of water in the street had become uncontrollable. There were still only a couple of people in their doorways at this time. The depth of the water had reached around 3 feet as it was lapping over the garden walls of the houses opposite and was clearly entering the front doors of these properties also. Fortunately for us, our side of the street is slightly raised from the other side and we have 2 steps up to the path to the front door of the house. As the water level reached the second step on our front path I was concerned enough to suggest we should call fire and rescue even though I was sure the houses opposite would have done this already. We were asked by fire and rescue if the water was actually entering our property. We said no but it wasn't far off. They said to call back if it did enter and not before as they were currently inundated with similar calls and were prioritising those whose houses were already flooding. Oh great !
When the storm had first started I thought it was good viewing and wasn't overly concerned but as the water was lapping over the second step to our house I was now very worried. I looked out into the street and could now also see a car stranded in water up to the windscreen with the wipers moving A couple of the neighbours had waded into the water to try to help but it it was almost up to their chests so they waded back again. The houses opposite were obviously now in big trouble as one occupant had just returned home and someone already inside the house couldn't open the door for obvious reasons so he had to climb in through a window. Overhead the storm continued and I noted if it carried on at this intensity for another 10 minutes or so our house was going to be in trouble.
Suddenly a few small areas of blue sky appeared and the rain abated slightly. A few moments later our next door but one neighbours had returned home from shopping and shouted to us through the hedge asking if they could pass through our garden as they would have needed a boat to reach their house from the front. They have 2 small children so I opened the gate to the side of the house (it's a corner house so the side is on another street which had shallower flooding) and they passed though our gardens and next door's garden. We removed the fence panels between us to allow easier access.
As we were replacing the panels, the rain had eased further and, mercifully, the water level had receded back to below the first step on the front path. By this time a large crowd had gathered and the occupant of the car had been released but his car was now clearly a write off. It was also noticeable that during this flash flood the temperature had dropped considerably and the hailstones now completely covering both our gardens were showing no sign of melting. A bewildered frog also suddenly appeared on the front lawn. After another 10 minutes or so the rain eased further and, at the same time, a fire engine finally turned up. This was my cue to return indoors and take a deep breath. The storm itself had lasted for a full hour.
Over the next few hours the clean up operation continued in the street among the fire service and the neighbours worst affected. We had ensured our next door neighbour was OK and had offered assistance to others. It was heart warming to know that in this kind of situation we have neighbours who are decent people. This was my first experience of a "flash flood" and not one I am too eager to repeat..
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