Parts of the UK suffer some of wettest winters on record
Parts of the UK could record some of the wettest winters in history after a season of storms and snowfall.
Rainfall in the UK has been nine per cent above average for the entire season, with forecasters describing it as “wet but nowhere near record-breaking territory”.
But some counties are now in the top five wettest winters since records began in 1836, according to provisional Met Office figures.
Dorset and Cornwall experienced the second wettest winter ever; The Isle of Wight and County Down experienced their third winter, and Angus, Kincardineshire, Hampshire and Aberdeen experienced their fourth winter.
According to provisional rankings, Warwickshire is currently the fifth wettest region in history. There are a few days left before the start of meteorological winter and they may even move up the rankings as more rain is expected.
Rainfall in the UK has been 35 per cent above the long-term average for the whole winter; 326.6 mm of rainfall was recorded until February 25.
Meanwhile, Scotland experienced a dry winter with rainfall 16 percent below the winter average. Eastern parts of Scotland received rainfall 19 per cent above seasonal average rainfall, while northern regions saw 34 per cent less rainfall.
Met Office senior scientist Mike Kendon said: “With only a few days left of the meteorological winter, many may be surprised that despite an exceptionally wet season, no national rainfall records are expected. “The near-constant operation of the Atlantic systems over the past three months has brought persistent rain, damaging storms and a few dry spells.
“December was wetter than average, January saw near-record rainfall in parts of Northern Ireland and Southern England, and by early February some areas had already exceeded average monthly totals.
“Although last week was quieter, this looks set to cap a very wet winter for parts of southern England, a region known for its intensity as well as its incessant rain.”
Southern England is currently experiencing its seventh wettest winter since records began in 1836, with the 336.1mm of rain recorded so far marked by a north-south divide. The region’s wettest weather was experienced in 2014, with 413.3 mm of precipitation.
The forecaster’s observations follow a winter marked by a succession of storms, including Storm Bram in December as well as storms Goretti, Ingrid and Chandra in January. High winds, heavy rainfall and widespread disruption have battered parts of the UK.
Storm Goretti, as named by the French Meteorological Service, has been called a “multi-hazard event” bringing wind, ice, snow and rain to parts of the UK. Although Scotland appears to have had a particularly dry season, schools were closed across much of the country due to heavy snowfall at the beginning of the year.
The Met Office said on February 5 that rain had been recorded on every day of the year so far, and that rainfall had been tracked for more than a month.
By contrast, Britain experienced its hottest day of the year so far on Wednesday, with temperatures reaching 18.7 degrees in Kew Gardens in London.
This article was changed at the time of publication. An earlier version incorrectly reported that Britain had experienced its wettest winter in a decade. This was not the case, but in some areas the winters were among the wettest on record.
