Wet September saw some counties experience rainiest month on record – Met Office

Some English counties saw their wettest month on record in September as rain repeatedly battered parts of the country, Met Office figures show.

Unsettled conditions saw 10 English counties experience their wettest September on record, and for Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire, it was the wettest calendar month they have experienced in rainfall records dating back to 1836.

But while southern and central areas experienced an exceptionally wet September, with England seeing 95% more rain than normal, Scotland and Northern Ireland were drier than average for the month.

As a result the UK as a whole experienced 25% higher rainfall in September than the long term average, with 114.1mm of rain (4.5 inches), well behind the highest total for the month of 178.5mm in 1950 (seven inches), the Met Office said.

Areas across England have suffered heavy rain, high winds and flooding in recent weeks, with hundreds of properties and farmland flooded and widespread travel disruption with roads closed and rail services suspended.

Seven counties – Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire –  all recorded more than three times their average September rainfall, the Met Office said.

Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Rutland also experienced their wettest September on record.

Southern England had its wettest September since 1918, and its third wettest in the records dating back to 1836.

Temperature and hours of sunshine have been closer to average, the Met Office said.

Met Office Scientist Emily Carlisle said: “September saw unsettled weather across the UK. The jet stream was south shifted for most of the month, making it very wet for some in the south, but rather dry for some in the north.

“The month began with heavy showers and thunderstorms to the south of the UK, whilst the north of the country saw much drier and warmer conditions.

“Although mid-month saw a return to more settled weather and an increase in temperatures, low pressure was never too far away and the end of the month concluded with frontal systems bringing heavy rain and thunderstorms, with an Amber National Severe Weather Warning being issued.”

While England saw 95% above average rainfall, and Wales experienced 37% more for the month, Scotland experienced 37% below average rain for the month and Northern Ireland 18% less.

The Met Office said rainfall had a large amount of natural variability in the UK climate, with long term trends harder to detect in monthly data, but there are longer term signals on climate change in wider rainfall datasets.

Five of the 10 wettest years in the UK, dating back to 1836, have occurred in the 21st century, while the most recent decade (2014-2023) has been 10% wetter than 1961-1990.

The Met Office said a warmer atmosphere as a result of rising temperatures will be able to hold more moisture, leading to more intense and frequent downpours with the UK expected to see more autumn days with rainfall totals of more than 50mm (nearly two inches).