304 



THE RECENT CLOUD=BURST IN NORTH=EAST 

 YORKSHIRE.* 



J. T. SEWELL. 



The storm of May 20th last appears to have passed north by 

 way of Weaverthorpe and along the boundary of Sherburn 

 and Heslerton parishes. It then crossed the valley, and heavy 

 rain is reported to have fallen a little to the east of Ebberston, 

 increasing in intensity over Staindale moor. Crosscliff and 

 Bickley probably experienced the storm, although very little 

 extra water is reported to have flowed into the Forge Valley 

 and Ayton drainage ; no extra water found its way into the 

 Newton-Dale stream except a small amount from the Saltergate 

 area. 



The Staindale rain-fall caused a rise of about four feet in 

 the beck at Thorntondale (very little rain at the village although 

 the storm of the 21st was very heavy here), Ebberston was also' 

 badly flooded with the moor drainage. 



An immense rainfall occurred immediately west of Lilla 

 Howe and continued on the western side of the watershed as far 

 as Grosmont ; no streams to the east of the watershed flowing 

 into the Flyingdale district were effected, nor were those west 

 of the railway line nor near Goathland village. Probably the 

 volume of water that fell on these moors equalled, or more than 

 equalled the downpour on the wolds. The Ellerbeck stream 

 rose nine feet, and at Goathland the bridge immediately south 

 of the station was unable to take the water, which, getting on to 

 the line, flowed between the station platforms. Grosmont 

 suffered from the water which came down the hillside fields * in 

 waves following one another.' 



The storm now appears to have taken more of a north-west 

 direction. It crossed the line a little north of Grosmont, 

 passed over Aislaby village, and broke with renewed violence 

 on the northern slope of Skelda moor and over Hutton Mul- 

 grave ; it possibly continued to sea, passing between Sandsend 

 and Runswick. 



Whitby escaped this storm except for an ordinary thunder 

 shower with a rainfall of ^22 during the night, the sky as 



* For an account of the storm in the Drifiield district the reader is 

 referred to the article by the Rev. E. Maule Cole, F.G.S., in ' The Naturalist '' 

 for July, pages 255-256. 



Naturalist^ 



