Well, many of us waking up to the UK news today will have heard the news from the Met Office that last month has been the wettest April in more than 100 years! Some areas, particularly in the south of England saw three times as much rainfall in April 2012 than the usual average. And the rainy weather is continuing – an amber warning has been issued for today, with severe weather expected in parts of Devon, Dorset and Somerset. Heavy localised flooding is expected, so be careful when out and about today in those affected areas.
The Met office figures for the month of April, show that the amount of rain which has fallen is almost double the long term average for April of 69.6mm, in records dating back to 1910. The town of Liscombe, on Exmoor in Somerset, has experienced the greatest rainfall throughout April, with 273.8mm of rain compared with its 86.4mm average.
Overall the distribution of the rain has been quite varied, with much of the rain having been focussed on the south of the UK, with England recording more rainfall than Scotland. In fact, Prestwick in Ayrshire has seen only 39.2mm of rain and Skye has had just over half of its monthly rainfall – with 52.0mm of its 99.5mm average – a start contrast to the downpours experienced south of the border!
This also contrasts quite dramatically with March 2012, where we experienced the fifth driest March on record with 36.4mm of rain compared to the average of 95.9mm (if we can extend our rain-drenched memories back to those drier sunnier days! Also, according to Dave Britton from the Met Office, the weather is not expected to improve next month either:
“it does look like the outlook remains rather unsettled. Further spells of rain to come certainly through May and remaining rather unsettled and temperatures a bit below average as well”
So with a very wet May ahead of us, perhaps it might be worthwhile ensuring your umbrellas are up to the job. Do you maybe need to have a few on hand – one for the house, the car, the handbag or briefcase? If so, make sure you check out Brolliesgalore today, treat yourself to a new brolly or two, and keep yourself dry this May! All the evidence points to the whole country being due for a good soaking, so make sure that you’re not!