12th April: Storm Damage at Calshot and Lepe

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The strong winds and storm surge during the night of 8th/9th April 20249 caused damage at both Calshot and Lepe. A photo at Calshot during the night was taken from a camper-van and the daughter of NCI calshot watchkeeper Roy Pullinger took photos the next morning of damage caused by the run off into the lagoon area. I took some more photos on 14th April when calling at the Tower.

[1] Calshot Acivity Centre Night Of 8th/9th April 2024
[2] Calshot Approach Road 07:25/9th
[3] Calshot Approach Road 09:30/9th
[4] Storm Damage At Calshot
[5] The Runoff Channel At The Entrance To The Activity Centre Area
[6] There Is A Fan Of Shingle Over The Lagoon Mud

At Lepe a channel was cut through the shingle beach between Stansore Point and the D-Day remains.  My guess is that waves washed over the beach into the Nature Reserve fields during the storm and then the flood water cut the breach in returning to the sea.  This video shows where the channel lies in relation to the normal drainage channel outfall at Stansore Point and the dolphins off the D-Day remains.

The Country Park have closed the beach to the public a little way beyond Stansore Point.

[1] Cliff Erosion Just Beyond The Beaach Car Park
[2] Cliff Erosion Nearer To Lepe Spit
[3] The D Day Remains Are Now Inaccessible
[4] The Breach In The Shingle Beach
[5] Sea Water Can Now Flow Onto The Nature Reserve Fields
[6] There Is The Potential For Stron Currents In The Breach
[7] Calshot In The Distance
[8] Relationship To The Position Of The D Day Dolphins
[9] Flow Over The Normal Drainage Channel Outflow