How long will UK’s rain deluge last after 41st consecutive day of wet weather?
Record-breaking wet weather will continue in the UK, with many areas facing another 10 days of rain, forecasters have warned.
With rain falling from slate-gray skies for 41 consecutive days, the country looks even rainier than ever, with rain falling every day so far in 2026. And more to come.
“There is currently no sign of prolonged dry weather for the next seven to 10 days,” Met Office senior operational meteorologist Simon Partridge said.
“With so much rain having fallen in parts of the UK this year, many areas are vulnerable to further rainfall. Therefore, more rainfall warnings are likely to be issued as the week progresses.”
The Environment Agency has issued more than 100 flood warnings, while the Met Office has issued yellow rain warnings for Tuesday and Wednesday; The South West and Scotland are bearing the brunt as severe weather continues. Heavy rain is expected in most of the rest of the country.
“We’re once again starting the week with more rain in places where we’ve seen a lot of rain over the last few weeks,” Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said on Monday. “For some, this means it’s the 40th day of rain this year.”
All of this, he added, was accompanied by “extensive low cloud and fog and some mist in patches.”
This made for “an extraordinarily wet start to the year”, Met Office saidIn many places, it leaves the perception that “winter happens over and over again”.
How wet was it?
It’s very wet. Cornwall and County Down in Ireland recorded the wettest January in history, while Northern Ireland experienced the wettest January in 149 years.
While 26 stations across the UK set new monthly rainfall records, some daily records also fell – Plymouth saw its wettest January day in 104 years, Hurn in Dorset by 74 years and Dunkeswell in Devon by 57 years.
Figures show that 2026 has rainfall intensity and frequency to rival some of the most extreme periods ever observed in the country.
Just think of the sated souls living at North Wyke in Devon, Cardinham in Cornwall and Astwood Bank in Worcestershire (places that recorded 40 consecutive rainy days from 31 December to 8 February).
Meanwhile, two other places – Liscombe in Somerset and Camborne in Cornwall – saw 37 days of continuous rain over almost the same period.
But perhaps the bleakest news is this: Aberdeen hasn’t seen a minute of sunshine in two weeks and counting – the longest period for the region since records began in 1957.
The UK has already achieved 89 per cent of average winter rainfall, while England has exceeded the seasonal norm of 111 per cent. Wales was above average at 94 per cent and Northern Ireland was above average at 101 per cent. In Scotland the figure is lower at 69 per cent, but this national figure masks sharp regional differences in weather conditions this winter. Met Office said.
What triggered the flood and when will it end?
According to the Met Office’s chief forecaster, Neil Armstrong, the incessant droning, drizzle, rain and showers across the country are being driven by “a strong, southward-shifting jet stream that is directing low pressure systems directly into the UK.
“Cold air currents over North America energized the jet, strengthening the temperature gradient across the northwest Atlantic, while a high blockade over Northern Europe prevented the air fronts from opening, causing them to stall over the UK.
“The result has been persistent waves of rain, strong winds and snow on the hills in parts of Scotland,” he added.
His colleagues also shed light on when the rain will stop, but also warned that it will come another day and soon.
“If you’re tired of this type of weather, there’s some hope on the horizon, with slightly less wet weather in store for the week and weekend,” Mr McGivern said.
However, this break may be short-term. Deputy chief forecaster Steven Keates added: “Towards the end of the week we will see a transition from wet and windy weather to cooler, more stable conditions, with Saturday looking like a good day for many. But this reprieve will not last long as the next Atlantic weather fronts look set to move in from the west by the end of the weekend.”
As average temperatures rise due to the climate crisis, forecasters have previously warned that the likelihood of wetter weather will increase as a warmer atmosphere can hold more water.
What was the impact?
The impact of this for people; it is outright despair due to the increasing risk of floods, chaotic travel, saturation of farmland and constant gloom.
Meanwhile, for wildlife, unusually wet weather also means great difficulties for some species.
Experts at the Wildlife Trusts have warned that extreme weather could already harm many creatures as saturated farmland leaks pollutants into Britain’s already environmentally endangered waterways.
As well as river-dwelling species, riverine dwellers such as water voles and kingfishers are also at particular risk due to unusually high river levels.
Eleanor Johnston, climate change manager at The Wildlife Trusts, said: Independent: “As global temperatures rise, we can expect extreme weather events such as floods to increase further as warmer, wetter winters are dominated by heavy rainfall.
“This affects the places we live and public safety, as well as farmland and our natural world. For example, heavy rainfall can affect sensitive ecosystems by pushing more pollutants into our waterways and fields, while voles, kingfishers and other wildlife can flood or inundate their riverside homes.”
This could mean loss of eggs and nestlings, which could impact further up the food chain, affecting birds such as owls and larger mammals, he said.
“Flooding also increases the spread of invasive non-native species [such as] “Himalayan balsam signals crayfish and associated diseases… helps disperse seeds downstream,” he added.
But it’s not time to fire up the ship just yet. The organization is calling for more nature-based solutions to tackle the increasing risk of flooding in the UK, including the restoration of bogs, wetlands and peatlands, all designed to retain more water on the landscape, slowing runoff (reducing the impact of flooding) as well as providing much-needed habitat for species such as sandpipers, golden plovers and green-furred butterflies.
