Half a year's rain recorded in just two months at Reading's Atmospheric Observatory
Release Date 12 February 2014
The University of Reading's Atmospheric Observatory has released its latest rainfall figures showing six months rainfall in the Thames Valley since the start of December.
It is already the third wettest winter since the Observatory started its records in 1908.
Andrew Barrett, a storm expert at the University of Reading said:
"It will be a miracle if this is not the wettest winter on the record - with yet more storms set to batter to the UK over the coming days.
"We have had six months worth of rainfall since mid-December. We've measured almost double the average rain for winter [NB December to February] - with more than two weeks go before the end of the month.
"This is already the third wettest winter on record. It would normally be May before rainfall totals reached the amount since the start of this year.
"It's not uncommon for weather patterns in the UK to get ‘stuck' - but this is unprecedented. With ground already saturated and rivers already full, it's no surprise we are facing more flooding."
Reading University Atmospheric Observatory - Wednesday 12th February 2014
- the Observatory has now measured more than six months rainfall since 15 December;
- the Observatory's 30-year rolling average for December, January and February is 164.4 mm rain. From 15 December 2013 to today, the Observatory has measured 319.3 mm.
- based on the Observatory's rolling 30 year average, it would be 7 May before we would get the 218.0mm rain since 1 January 2014;
- this is already the third wettest winter (December, January and February) since the Observatory records started in 1908 (with 16 days to go). This is even more remarkable given the first 14 days of December were unusually dry, with only 4.7 mm recorded;
- the wettest winters since 1908 are:
- 1989/90: 344.6mm
- 1914/15: 327.9mm
- 2013/14: 324.0mm (with 16 days still to come)