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The wettest day in the UK since records began was recorded this month

Saturday 3rd October was the wettest day since records began in 1891.

Emily Sergeant - 16th October 2020

The UK had its wettest day on record earlier this month and there was even enough rain to more than fill Loch Ness.

The Met Office has confirmed that the record-breaking day in question was Saturday 3rd October.

On the day that Storm Alex battered the nation, data from the national weather service showed that this was in fact the largest amount of rain – an average of an average of 31.7mm (1.25 inches) falling across the whole of the UK – to fall since records began back in 1891.

The previous record-breaking wettest day was seen in August 1986, with an average of 29.8mm (1.17in) of rain.

Dr Mark McCarthy – Head of the Met Office’s National Climate Information Centre – said: “In climate statistics, 2019 will be remembered for possessing the UK’s hottest day, whereas 2020 will be associated with rainfall records.”

He also said that the volume of rain that fell across the UK was more than the capacity of Loch Ness, which is the largest lake in the country by volume and holds 7.4 cubic km of water.

Dr McCarthy added: “It is exceptional to have 30 – 50mm or more of rain falling so extensively across the UK – from the south coast of England to the north coast of Scotland – in a single day.”

Scientists are warning that global warming is causing more extreme weather and heavy downpours.

The UK has already seen 68% of its average rainfall for the month of October, with more than 20 counties across the country having already received at least 100% of the rain they would expect on average for October, including Buckinghamshire with 139% of the month’s rainfall, Berkshire with 138%, and Hertfordshire with 132%.

Grahame Madge – a climate spokesman for the Met Office – said: “The UK’s rainfall record contains many extreme events but it is clear from the UK’s climate projections that with warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers we can expect increasingly more extreme rainfall records toward the end of the century.

“There is a simple relationship between a warmer atmosphere and an increased amount of moisture in the atmosphere,

“This again suggests that the UK is likely to witness increased rainfall and more record-breaking events.”

Well, it’s no secret that we’re used to wet weather here in the rainy city, but even this is a bit on the extreme side for us Mancunians.