Water, Water Everywhere!

There is a lot of water around Oxford these days.   The two rivers that run through Oxford -- the Cherwell and the Thames -- have burst their banks.  

Oxford's floods are a result, not so much of rain falling in the immediate area, but of water which has fallen as far away as the Cotswolds coming down the valley of the River Thames. There is a marked geological narrowing of the Thames valley immediately south of Oxford city, around the old Abingdon Road bridge over the railway at Redbridge in South Oxford and Kennington. 

The natural narrowing has been made far worse by the building of the railway, roads and buildings, and by landfill. 

This area is Southwest of Oxford. Yesterday the trains were running.  Today the tracks are underwater. 

Oxford has 7 spokes that lead out of the city center. We live South of the city, off the southern spoke of Abingdon and Kennington Roads. They where both closed today due to flooding.

John had to teach a group of executives who were trapped by flood waters in their hotel.  He borrowed boots to wade his way to the hotel and keep the course on schedule.  

This is the main southern spoke -- Abingdon Road -- that leads into Oxford and it is where John went wading this morning. 

We live about a mile from the Thames.  I walked over today to see how close I could get to the river bank and the locks that span the river.  I found that the river had swollen and was flowing as far as a half mile from it's normal banks. I couldn't get anywhere near the banks and for most of the way, the main road was under water.  

Several flood warnings are still in place for the Thames, Cherwell, and their tributaries in Oxford. The water is supposed to crest sometime tonight.  

And the spirit in Oxfordshire regarding the flooding?  
As ever, Keep Calm and Carry On.