UK weather: Sheffield records wettest autumn on record with more than two weeks still to go

A UK weather station has recorded its wettest autumn on record with more than two weeks of the season still to go after heavy downpours caused widespread flooding in parts of central and northern England.

With 15 days left of the meteorological season, a Met Office station in Sheffield has already recorded 427.6mm of rain since 1 September, beating the previous record of 425.2mm set in 2000.

The record-breaking figure came through as nearly 80 flood warnings were still in place across England and Wales in areas that have been hit by torrential rain this month.

However, there will be relief for communities who have been dealing with some of the worst flooding in recent years as the wet weather has shown signs of subsiding.

Although rain is expected over the weekend, the Met Office has predicted that the worst downpours have come to an end.

Sophie Yeomans, a Met Office meteorologist, said forecasters were not expecting any issues to arise from the weekend’s rain as it will be too light to cause further disruption.

Despite the record figure in Sheffield, Ms Yeomans added it was “not looking likely” that the UK-wide record for the wettest Autumn, recorded in 2000, will be broken.

More than 1,200 people were forced to abandon their homes after the deluges earlier this month, with town and villages around Doncaster and Sheffield being badly affected by the downpours.

Doncaster Council has said 970 homes and businesses in the town have been affected since the rain started on 7 November.

The government responded yesterday to criticism of a perceived lack of support for affected communities by announcing funding to give eligible households and businesses “immediate relief” from their council tax and business rates for at least the next three months.

When asked on Friday if the wet period was coming to an end, Met Office metereologist Helen Roberts said: “The simple answer is yes, with the caveat that there will be some rain across the weekend.”

However, Ms Roberts added that the forecast was “not looking as bad as recent days or weeks”.

All homes in Fishlake, one of the worst-hit flood areas, are expected to be “clear of water” by Sunday, according to the Environment Agency’s John Curtin.

Emergency services in Herefordshire and Worcestershire said nearly 100 people and a dog have been rescued in 43 different incidents where vehicles became stuck in water on Thursday and Friday.

There has also been disruption to some rail services between Sheffield and Scunthorpe, Doncaster and Goole, and Nottingham and Derby.

Additional reporting by PA