Rainfall Statistics, 2014

[cheese]

94mm. Think we'll miss out on 100mm, but a very wet month by our standards.

[Weather-history]

Wettest Januaries on record for England and Wales

176.8 1948

169.0 1988

162.6 1995

162. 2014 up to 28th

Wettest winters on record for England and Wales

423.0 1914-15

420.9 1989-90

418.3 1876-77

415.6 1994-95

388.3 1993-94

380.6 1868-69

374.3 1959-60

373.5 1915-16

363.0 1965-66

362.0 1936-37

340.0 1976-77

337.2 1911-12

335.2 1978-79

332.6 1922-23

331.9 2000-01

331.7 1882-83

330.6 1883-84

330.4 1924-25

330.2 1929-30

329.4 1909-10

328.3 1934-35

327.8 2006-07

326.5 1979-80

323.9 1918-19

322.9 1899-00

320.1 1927-28

319.6 1790-91

318.9 1938-39

317.5 1983-84

316.5 2012-13

314.8 1827-28

313.0 1803-04

309.9 1960-61

309.2 1773-74

308.4 1947-48

306.7 1847-48

298.7 1872-73

298.0 1919-20

296.7 1977-78

295.6. 2013-14 Up to 28th January

[North-Easterly Blast]

Its been a wet January, but we've had wetter. The last very wet January was 2005. The winter so far has been very similar to the likes of 94/95 and 04/05 which were very wet throughout until the middle of February and often stormy with atlantic low after atlantic low.

 

The last 5 winters have been quite dry in the main, but with episodic very wet spells notably mid Jan - late Feb 11, mid Dec 12 - mid Jan 13 and mid Dec 11 - mid Jan 12. However, we have seen very dry periods as well, notably late Dec 08 - mid Jan 09 and first half of Feb 09, mid Jan - early March 10, Dec 10, early Feb 12 and early Dec 12.

 

A run of very topsy turvy winters rainfall wise, unlike the run of consistently wet ones between 97/98 and 07/08 bar the odd dry one in 02/03 and 05/06.

Winter 2004-05 was a pretty dry one for England and Wales as a whole, which was followed on by 2005-06.  Jan 2008 was very wet but Feb 2008 was a pretty dry month.  Winter 2009-10 although cold, wasn't dry overall.  Winter 2011-12 was pretty dry in Jan & Feb.

[Terminal Moraine]

184.0 mm here up to 0900 today. It will need 23.4 mm to make it the wettest January on record. At the moment 2014 is in 4th place, 15.7 mm behind 1984 in 3rd.

[shedhead]

I'd like to say/know, but my raingauge is still under 9" of water! So will need to wait for Yeoviltons numbers to get a decent idea.

[Mapantz]

I'm up to 260mm on the nose, possibility of another 20mm or so tomorrow, without a shadow of a doubt, the wettest month I have ever recorded! December saw in excess of 200mm, so well over half a years rainfall has fallen in less than two months. Crazy weather! But it keeps me interested..

Davis vantage vue and a manual gauge in use, as sometimes the Davis under-reads, so I take the average.

Edited January 30, 2014 by Mapantz

[Summer Sun]

UK floods: January rain breaks records in parts of England

 

Early figures suggest parts of England have had their wettest January since records began more than 100 years ago. The Met Office said much of southern England and parts of the Midlands had already seen twice the average rainfall for January by midnight on Tuesday - with three days left in the month. And it is warning of more rain, as well as snow and high winds, for much of the UK in the coming days.

In Somerset, the military is preparing to help flooded areas.

 

Up to and including January 28, the South East and central southern England had 175.2mm (6.9in) of rainfall in January - beating the previous record of 158.2mm for the same parts of England set in 1988.

 

Across south-west England and south Wales, the 222.6 mm (8.8in) of rainfall up to midnight on Tuesday meant January 2014 was already the fifth-wettest on record.

 

On Wednesday, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said military amphibious vehicles could be deployed to help flood victims in Somerset. Military planners met council officials earlier, and discussions are believed to be continuing. Mr Paterson will chair a meeting of Cobra, the government's emergency response committee, later. Roads round villages such as Muchelney in the Somerset Levels have been cut for almost a month and about 11,500 hectares (28,420 acres) of the Levels are flooded by about 65 million cubic metres of water. BBC Weather forecaster Emma Boorman said Thursday's weather would be "quieter" than recent days of heavy rain. She said the South West would be "largely dry" with an "outside chance" of showers, while showers would be more likely in the Midlands, South East and east of England.

 

'No dry spell'

 

The Met Office has issued numerous yellow warnings - the lowest of its three alert levels - for the next few days. A rain warning for south-east England expires at 12:00 GMT, but a new warning covering most of southern England, southern Wales and parts of Northern Ireland has been issued for the period from 08:00 on Friday until the early hours of Saturday morning. Parts of central Scotland and northern England are being warned of snow on Friday. The Met Office is also warning of high winds for many western parts of the UK on Saturday and Sunday.

 

BBC Weather presenter Nick Miller said the long-range forecast suggested there was "no prolonged dry spell in sight".

 

Mild temperatures

 

For the UK as a whole, 164.6 mm (6.5in) of rain has fallen so far this month - 35% above the long-term average. The figures will come as no surprise to those in the country who are continuing to suffer the aftermath of severe winter floods. But the Met Office said it had seen a contrast from south to north across the UK, with northern Scotland having received 85% of its long-term average rainfall so far this month, compared with 200% over southern England. Wet weather in winter usually means temperatures have been mild, and the UK mean temperature up to 28 January was 4.9C (41F) - 1.2C above average. Met Office analysts said the whole of the UK was on target for a wetter than average winter.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25944823

 

[Snowyowl9]

Well they just said on the news its the wettest January on record 100 years whatever its wet. 
After tomorrow it will be.

Edited January 30, 2014 by Snowyowl9

[Bobby]

UK rainfall anomaly for January up to the 28th

 

 

Exceptionally wet across southern and central England, above average everywhere apart from northern and western parts of Scotland.

 

Currently 159% the average here.

[TonyH]

23mm required to beat Jan 2008's 238mm so it's all down to tomorrow's system which has to produce the wettest day of the month.

[TonyH]

Dad reports 118mm from Rugby, more than any January they recorded while living in Coventry (1982 -2011 record, wettest 1988 106mm) but much less than Bablake School, Coventry this Jan which is on 146.8mm as at this morning:

http://bws.users.netlink.co.uk/

Edited January 30, 2014 by TonyH

[Bobby]

Actual rainfall for January up to the 28th

200mm + across much of S England, pretty impressive

Wettest January ever for some places for sure.

[The PIT]

Up to 121.2mm now.10th wettest so far more to come. The wettest is 1986 with 177mm we ain't going to beat that.

[Weather26]

Wettest Januaries on record for England and Wales176.8 1948169.0 1988162.6 1995162. 2014 up to 28th 

And since the announcement this morning added on another 2 mm (164mm up to Tuesday) it looks the whole country could be in line for the wettest January on Record (with 3 days still to be added.)

[The PIT]

And since the announcement this morning added on another 2 mm (164mm up to Tuesday) it looks the whole country could be in line for the wettest January on Record (with 3 days still to be added.)

Not for us extremely unlikely. I can't see 50mm plus tomorrow.

[damianslaw]

How is this winter fairing rainfall wise compared to the very wet winter of 94/95 which I believe ended up the wettest of the last 100 years. Anyone have any stats on wettest winters on record.. With the forecast showing more heavy rain we could be in for the wettest winter on record... coming not long on the back of one of the wettest summers on record in 2012 - or was it the wettest summer on record. It would be some statistic to record two wettest seasons ever in the space of 18 months.

 

I've mentioned it before, but there is a propensity in this country for very wet periods to suddenly be exchanged for very dry periods and vice-versa with lengthy average periods interspersed inbetween. If we look at the last 26 years a distinct pattern has emerged supporting this statement -

 

Spring 88 - Spring 92 A notably very dry period away from the NW quarter of the country which saw a wet period thanks to the prevailing SW pattern most notably in winter 89/90. Away from the NW, there were only short lived wetter spells but some very dry spells most notably spring and summer 90, first half of 91, winter 91/92 and spring 92.

 

Summer 92 - Winter 94/95 a very wet period culminating in the winter of 94/95 which was the wettest on record over Britain as a whole in a series going back to 1869.

 

Spring 95-Spring 97 the driest 2 year period since records back with notable very dry periods in summer 95, winter 95/96, winter 96/97 and spring 97.

 

But then came the rains again with a washout summer 97. The period thereafter right through to December 2000 was a very wet one, with the atlantic dominating things. A batch of poor summers occurred in 97, 98, 00 and it all culminated in the wettest autumn on record.

 

Another change occurred in winter 00/01 to more average conditions but then things became increasingly wet again from autumn 03 through to winter 04/05. Notable wet months and seasons occurred, Aug 04 notably very wet, and winter 04/05.

 

Then a change again to very dry conditions from spring 05 through until Jan 07. 2006 was a very dry year and the warmest on record I believe. Though there was a wet autumn.

 

Jan 07 through until Dec 09 brought another very period, with two very wet summers in 2007, 2008 and not much drier in 2009. Winter 07/08 was a very wet one and it all culminated in the wettest November on record in 2009.

 

Then a swift change to generally  dry conditions during 2010 but with a wettish summer through until summer 2011 with a very dry spring in 2011 - I remember the hosepipe ban being announced in early July and low and behold the rains came again...

 

Summer 2011 - Summer 2012 another very wet period, culminating in the rains of summer 2012.

 

Autumn 2012 - Summer 2013 an average period rainfall wise.

 

Autumn 2013 - ? ... the return of another very wet period.....

 

We are due a lengthy dry period again... could we be seeing a winter 94/95 with a record 2 year dry spell occurring thereafter - it has happened!

 

We've seen far too much rain over the last 2 years or so.

Edited January 30, 2014 by damianslaw

[hillbilly]

How is this winter fairing rainfall wise compared to the very wet winter of 94/95 which I believe ended up the wettest of the last 100 years. Anyone have any stats on wettest winters on record.. With the forecast showing more heavy rain we could be in for the wettest winter on record... coming not long on the back of one of the wettest summers on record in 2012 - or was it the wettest summer on record. It would be some statistic to record two wettest seasons ever in the space of 18 months.

 

I've mentioned it before, but there is a propensity in this country for very wet periods to suddenly be exchanged for very dry periods and vice-versa with lengthy average periods interspersed inbetween. If we look at the last 26 years a distinct pattern has emerged supporting this statement -

 

Spring 88 - Spring 92 A notably very dry period away from the NW quarter of the country which saw a wet period thanks to the prevailing SW pattern most notably in winter 89/90. Away from the NW, there were only short lived wetter spells but some very dry spells most notably spring and summer 90, first half of 91, winter 91/92 and spring 92.

 

Summer 92 - Winter 94/95 a very wet period culminating in the winter of 94/95 which was the wettest on record over Britain as a whole in a series going back to 1869.

 

Spring 95-Spring 97 the driest 2 year period since records back with notable very dry periods in summer 95, winter 95/96, winter 96/97 and spring 97.

 

But then came the rains again with a washout summer 97. The period thereafter right through to December 2000 was a very wet one, with the atlantic dominating things. A batch of poor summers occurred in 97, 98, 00 and it all culminated in the wettest autumn on record.

 

Another change occurred in winter 00/01 to more average conditions but then things became increasingly wet again from autumn 03 through to winter 04/05. Notable wet months and seasons occurred, Aug 04 notably very wet, and winter 04/05.

 

Then a change again to very dry conditions from spring 05 through until Jan 07. 2006 was a very dry year and the warmest on record I believe. Though there was a wet autumn.

 

Jan 07 through until Dec 09 brought another very period, with two very wet summers in 2007, 2008 and not much drier in 2009. Winter 07/08 was a very wet one and it all culminated in the wettest November on record in 2009.

 

Then a swift change to generally  dry conditions during 2010 but with a wettish summer through until summer 2011 with a very dry spring in 2011 - I remember the hosepipe ban being announced in early July and low and behold the rains came again...

 

Summer 2011 - Summer 2012 another very wet period, culminating in the rains of summer 2012.

 

Autumn 2012 - Summer 2013 an average period rainfall wise.

 

Autumn 2013 - ? ... the return of another very wet period.....

 

We are due a lengthy dry period again... could we be seeing a winter 94/95 with a record 2 year dry spell occurring thereafter - it has happened!

 

We've seen far too much rain over the last 2 years or so.

You are right ,we will be talking drought before long.Am not sure where you get 'washout summer of 97' from?round here I think june was wet and we had some rain in july but the majority of july was lovely and august a scorcher!

[Weather-history]

Anyone have any stats on wettest on record

I have posted those stats in this thread and updated them a couple of times.

[Robbie Garrett]

I remember back in the 90s that it never stopped raining, admiringly I think Spring will be seasonal maybe warmer towards the end and Summer should be amazing (again??) - rainfall wise I can see next winter maybe being the same.

 

I've noticed we tend to get cold when it's dry? and lots of snow? Is there a correlation of drought and snowfall/northern blocking?

[Weather-history]

Wettest Januaries on record for England and Wales

176.8 1948

169.0 1988

167. Up to 29th January

Wettest winters on record for England and Wales

423.0 1914-15

420.9 1989-90

418.3 1876-77

415.6 1994-95

388.3 1993-94

380.6 1868-69

374.3 1959-60

373.5 1915-16

363.0 1965-66

362.0 1936-37

340.0 1976-77

337.2 1911-12

335.2 1978-79

332.6 1922-23

331.9 2000-01

331.7 1882-83

330.6 1883-84

330.4 1924-25

330.2 1929-30

329.4 1909-10

328.3 1934-35

327.8 2006-07

326.5 1979-80

323.9 1918-19

322.9 1899-00

320.1 1927-28

319.6 1790-91

318.9 1938-39

317.5 1983-84

316.5 2012-13

314.8 1827-28

313.0 1803-04

309.9 1960-61

309.2 1773-74

308.4 1947-48

306.7 1847-48

300.6. Up to 29th January

[Bobby]

Wettest Januaries on record for England and Wales176.8 1948169.0 1988167. Up to 29th January

 

Looks like it should happen with today's rain, the wettest January ever. Should surely average more than 10mm across England and Wales today?

[Nick L]

One dry day all month, ONE! Absolutely astonishing. Currently on 140mm, and that's not including the latest deluge we'll have today.

 

[TonyH]

Looks like it should happen with today's rain, the wettest January ever. Should surely average more than 10mm across England and Wales today?

A close call, incredible if it does!

[Bobby]

A close call, incredible if it does!

 

Some rain yesterday to add as well, I think it'll do it, a close call as you say.

[cheese]

102mm. Very wet.