Meto State 2011 Wettest Year On Record For Scotland

[damianslaw]

Just noted on the meto website that 2011 has been the wettest year on record in Scotland. I'm quite surprised and I am not sure whether I have misread things.

Whilst it has been a notably unsettled year all round for northern and western parts, I seem to remember wetter years such as 1990, 1998, 2000 and 2004, but perhaps it has been the persistant downpours with lack of any lengthy dry weather all year which has produced the high rain totals.

Here in Cumbria we did see a dry spring and autumn and although summer was quite wet it wasn't on the same level as recent summers.

I'm surprised if the Meto are correct no-one else has mentioned this statistic.

Conversely the Met office have stated east anglia has experienced its second driest year on record, not surprising given the persistance of westerlies all year round with the longwave trough stuck just to our west for much of the year. For the NW of the country it really has been a poor year for sunshine and lengthy dry weather - its felt like one long cloud rain mild fest.. 2012 can only be better in this respect.

[TonyH]

Yes it has been mentioned on the Beeb forecasts as well. Amazing that Scotland has it's wettest year while parts of the Midlands and East have had the second driest year (e.g. Coventry second only to 1921).

Edited December 31, 2011 by TonyH

[The PIT]

Not surprised at all just waiting for tomorrow to find out where this year comes in for dryness in Sheffield.

[A Winter's Tale]

It's been dull and wet. Other than a wet spell in September, November and December, it hasn't been inredibly wet with floods as in previous years but the year has consistently seen rain around, resulting in an awful summer.

[Optimus Prime]

The distribution of rainfall this year has been exceptional, a good indication of the prevailing winds and jetstream pattern. In the far south and east it's been dry. April was exceptionally dry and the summer as a whole, whilst cool was also relatively dry (the cold summer nights a good indication of the lack of cloud cover and unsettled weather)

I suspect it may also be the warmest year on record for East Anglia;

January - November 2006 11.58c

January - November 2011 11.69c