I paddled the Usk last weekend in high water. It was over the banks, so
I'd reckon you can officially call it 'in flood'.
http://www.bristolcanoeclub.org.uk/p...005/index.html

But we were trying to decide what 'in spate' actually means, or is
assumed to mean. Any suggestions?

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=spate
This says that 'spate' means:

1. A sudden flood, rush, or outpouring: “It issues a spate of words
from the loudspeakers and the politicians” (Virginia Woolf).
2. Chiefly British.
1. A flash flood.
2. A freshet resulting from a downpour of rain or melting of snow.
3. A sudden heavy fall of rain.

--
Conor O'Neill, at home in Bristol, UK

"Conor O'Neill" wrote in message
k...
I paddled the Usk last weekend in high water. It was over the banks, so
I'd reckon you can officially call it 'in flood'.
http://www.bristolcanoeclub.org.uk/p...005/index.html

But we were trying to decide what 'in spate' actually means, or is
assumed to mean. Any suggestions?

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=spate
This says that 'spate' means:

1. A sudden flood, rush, or outpouring: “It issues a spate of words
from the loudspeakers and the politicians” (Virginia Woolf).
2. Chiefly British.
1. A flash flood.
2. A freshet resulting from a downpour of rain or melting of snow.
3. A sudden heavy fall of rain.

--
Conor O'Neill, at home in Bristol, UK

In spate = get out the camera and take pictures of the lemmings - leave boat
on roof rack!
Best wishes

Keith

In message
Conor O'Neill wrote:

I paddled the Usk last weekend in high water. It was over the banks, so
I'd reckon you can officially call it 'in flood'.
http://www.bristolcanoeclub.org.uk/p...005/index.html

But we were trying to decide what 'in spate' actually means, or is
assumed to mean. Any suggestions?

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=spate
This says that 'spate' means:

1. A sudden flood, rush, or outpouring: “It issues a spate of words
from the loudspeakers and the politicians” (Virginia Woolf).
2. Chiefly British.
1. A flash flood.
2. A freshet resulting from a downpour of rain or melting of snow.
3. A sudden heavy fall of rain.


Not a definition, but as a practical guide, I'd suggest discoloured by extra
water. Trees with their roots in water. Grass growing under water.


--
Alan Adams

http://www.nckc.org.uk/

In spate = get out the camera and take pictures of the lemmings - leave
boat
on roof rack!
Best wishes

I'm 100 per cent in agreement with that definition :-)

Ewan Scott

Conor O'Neill wrote:
But we were trying to decide what 'in spate' actually means, or is
assumed to mean. Any suggestions?

I always considered spate as a lower water level than flood, spate is
bank full or just above, as much water as the river can carry without
actually flooding and withough bursting its banks.

Lots of rivers in The Scottish Guidebook are classed as spate runs -
you want them full but not ncessarily in flood.

urchaidh wrote:
Conor O'Neill wrote:

But we were trying to decide what 'in spate' actually means, or is
assumed to mean. Any suggestions?


I always considered spate as a lower water level than flood, spate is
bank full or just above, as much water as the river can carry without
actually flooding and withough bursting its banks.

Lots of rivers in The Scottish Guidebook are classed as spate runs -
you want them full but not ncessarily in flood.


Well, I suppose that does seem to make sense.

So it seems that perhaps 'bank full' is approximately equal to 'in spate'.

Terry Storry's old white water book always claimed that the rivers were
graded as bank full. Which didn't help much, because I hardly ever saw
any of my favourite rivers at that level.

--
Conor O'Neill, at home in Bristol, UK