January 15, 2019

Trent Aegir 2019

By angus

Predictions for 2020 are here
https://crowle.org/?p=4922

NOTE! I have updated my predictions based on Today’s Aegir and a review of my approach – Please ignore previous versions of this table. Thursday 24th January 

The Trent Aegir, also known as the Eagre, is a tidal bore on the River Trent. At certain times of the year, it is possible to see a bore of up to five feet high.

The Aegir occurs when a high spring tide meets the downstream flow of the river forcing it back and causing a wave to flow upstream. Typically it is possible to see the bore from Derrythorpe to as far up the river as Gainsborough. Beyond Gainsborough the bore is reduced to a ripple.

The best places to see the Aegir are at Gainsborough, Morton, East Stockwith, West Stockwith and Owston Ferry.

The Environment Agency used to publish predictions for the bore but no longer do. I have therefore tried to make predictions for the bore myself using tidal tables fro the UK Hydrographic Office.

I have used the tidal range at the Humber Bridge to determine the likelihood of a good bore – the larger the tidal range the more likely there will be a good bore on the River Trent. I have then determined timings using a time difference from the predicted high tide. The highest tides are around the spring and autumn equinoxes.

The appearance of a bore can be affected by various other factors that may enhance or detract from the size of the bore;

  • excessive flood water flowing down the river will reduce the size of the bore
  • too little water flowing down the river will also reduce the size of the Aegir
  • depending on the wind direction winds may enhance or detract from the size of the Aegir
  • lighting may also affect how the Aegir is perceived – in my experience, it looks best when the sun is behind the river
  • depending on the weather conditions the Aegir can be up to 30 minutes earlier than predicted.

To help me improve my predictions I should be grateful if you could email me (angus@townley.com) with details of actual times and appearances of the Aegir. Don’t forget to say where you were. Many thanks.

Also please feel free to share photos and reports of the aegir below.

Depending on the weather conditions the Aegir can be up to 30 minutes earlier than predicted. Be early to increase your chances of seeing it.

Day Date Owston Ferry Stockwith Gainsborough Tidal Range at Humber Bridge Prospect
Sep 2019            
01 Sun 07:50 08:15 08:35 7.57 ***
01 Sun 20:29 20:54 21:14 7.85 ****
02 Mon 08:34 08:59 09:19 7.72 ***
02 Mon 21:11 21:36 21:56 7.73 ***
03 Tue 09:18 09:43 10:03 7.53 ***
03 Tue 21:53 22:18 22:38 7.26 **
28 Sat 18:39 19:04 19:24 7.44 **
29 Sun 06:44 07:09 07:29 7.35 **
29 Sun 19:22 19:47 20:07 7.86 ****
30 Mon 07:28 07:53 08:13 7.74 ***
30 Mon 20:03 20:28 20:48 7.95 ****
Oct 2019            
01 Tue 08:11 08:36 08:56 7.82 ****
01 Tue 20:43 21:08 21:28 7.70 ***
02 Wed 08:54 09:19 09:39 7.53 ***
02 Wed 21:22 21:47 22:07 7.13 *
03 Thu 21:22 21:47 22:07 7.13 *
27 Sun 17:14 17:39 17:59 7.47 **
28 Mon 05:21 05:46 06:06 7.32 **
28 Mon 17:56 18:21 18:41 7.76 ****
29 Tue 06:06 06:31 06:51 7.61 ***
29 Tue 18:36 19:01 19:21 7.72 ***
30 Wed 06:50 07:15 07:35 7.57 ***
30 Wed 19:15 19:40 20:00 7.39 **
31 Thu 07:33 07:58 08:18 7.20 *
Nov 2019            
25 Mon 16:49 17:14 17:34 7.02 *
26 Tue 17:32 17:57 18:17 7.22 *
27 Wed 05:48 06:13 06:33 7.08 *
27 Wed 18:51 19:16 19:36 7.17 *
28 Thu 06:33 06:58 07:18 7.00 *