Annual rainfall reached on 1 October!

[RayProudfoot]

Most of you in the UK would agree it’s been a wet year. The average rainfall for my part of Cheshire based on Met Office data is 31.76”.

Well that was broken with this morning’s rain and there’s still another 3 months to go. Looks like my record of 40.26” in 2012 will be broken.

How are other UK stations doing?

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[broadstairs]

Here at Broadstairs we have had 337.6mm YTD 18 year average 570.9 and lowest year value was 399.7 in 2011. So who knows what 2023 will bring.

Stuart

[freddie]

Definitely not a wet year next door in Shropshire. We've had just 3 months with above average rainfall this year. Total so far is 481.6 (should be at 545 mm at this point in the year), which is just below 70% of the average annual total. Similar at Shawbury in north Shropshire.

[RayProudfoot]

Stuart, given you live in the SE I’m not surprised your rainfall is that low. 570mm is around 23”. Here in Cheshire I recorded 7.7” in July alone. It was horrendous.

Freddie, I’ve had two months with below average rainfall - February and May. We’ve certainly kopped for it just 100 miles further north. I dread NW winds bringing all that rain in from the Irish Sea. When I lived in Norwich back in the early 70s NW winds brought clear skies.

[water01]

Here in Burnham-on-Sea we are well on the way to it being a record year. Average is 30.07in, and we are 1.81in off beating that and 3.68in off the record of 31.94 in 2022, with as you say 3 months to go that average 10.6in!!

[freddie]

How long is your record, David? From memory it's about 3-4 years.

[water01]

Correct Freddie, the Burnham-on-Sea site is in its 4th Year since I set it up, although my Gurney Slade site was up for 8 years

[grwkak]

Not quite at annual here in NE Ohio. Wet August, dry Sept - will see. Our wettest years were 2017, 2018 and 2020 with over 50 inches of rain.

Guy

[RayProudfoot]

@grwkak, Wow! Do you live near mountains that could increase rainfall? A month by month histogram of one of your wettest years would be interesting. Here in Cheshire spring is my driest season with March the driest.

[Mapantz]

Currently at 775mm (30.5") for the year.

My record is 1244mm (49") back in 2019.

[RayProudfoot]

Currently at 775mm (30.5") for the year.

My record is 1244mm (49") back in 2019.

What’s the average for your area? I got mine from the nearest Met Office station to my home.

Choose yours here. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/c ... e-averages

[Mapantz]

What’s the average for your area? I got mine from the nearest Met Office station to my home.

Choose yours here. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/c ... e-averages

I am pretty much between Swanage and Hurn airport, so I combine all data from those station to get my averages. 785mm (31")

Many many times, we get pummelled by rain, and Swanage and Bournemouth get next to nothing.

12th July, 2021. 77mm fell here in around 7 hours.

[RayProudfoot]

I am pretty much between Swanage and Hurn airport, so I combine all data from those station to get my averages. 785mm (31")

Many many times, we get pummelled by rain, and Swanage and Bournemouth get next to nothing.

12th July, 2021. 77mm fell here in around 7 hours.

So despite living 10 miles from Manchester and its reputation for rain my average is virtually the same as a station on the sunny south coast.

My wettest day was 12 August 2010 with 2.06”. Highest hourly rainfall was 1.2” but most spectacularly was the 12”/hour rain rate when a squall line passed through in February 2022.

[RayProudfoot]

@freddie, I bet it's dry in Shropshire today with the Welsh mountains protecting you from the westerlys. No such luck up here where we've already had 0.07" and more frequent showers to come.

Funny how they say the wind is predominantly from the SW. I find before the rain arrives it's a southerly and after the fronts pass through it veers to westerly. That makes the average direction SW but if it was this area would be protected by the Welsh hills. But we don't often get SWs and so never gent the protection you do.

[water01]

Beat you Ray, Burnham got another quite large deluge in about 3 hrs of .45in!! That put's 2023 in third place and only .5in off second place. Definitely going to be a record year!!.

It shows that at last the Environment Agency has at last got it's act together since 2013/14 when the Somerset levels had major flooding. They have been dredging all the rivers and rynes out since then and they are working well. They have had to close the flood gates once for minor flooding.