2023 Wettest Year On Record?

[Daniel*]

Speaking of the devil plotted annual rainfall data for Heathrow 1973-2023 it’s clear the climate is becoming wetter. 2023 finished with 770mm it is fourth wettest year and 4 of the top 5 wettest years were set in 21st century. The 770mm is 125% of 615mm annual 1991-2020 average. The last <500mm year was in 2005 now 19 years ago this very dry threshold used to be much more common decades ago. 2010-11 was rather dry but it has been over a decade now, it’s intriguing what future will bring personally I think this wetter trend is likely to be maintained. 

[Weather-history]

1 hour ago, Daniel* said:

Speaking of the devil plotted annual rainfall data for Heathrow 1973-2023 it’s clear the climate is becoming wetter. 2023 finished with 770mm it is fourth wettest year and 4 of the top 5 wettest years were set in 21st century. The 770mm is 125% of 615mm annual 1991-2020 average. The last <500mm year was in 2005 now 19 years ago this very dry threshold used to be much more common decades ago. 2010-11 was rather dry but it has been over a decade now, it’s intriguing what future will bring personally I think this wetter trend is likely to be maintained. 

Jamie aka MetJam  produced a similiar chart for Herne Bay 

 

 

[cheeky_monkey]

Looks to me as though there was a distinct drying trend form the early 1970s to the late 1990s  and a reversal of that trend since.

[Terminal Moraine]

2023 was the wettest year here since I began keeping records in 1963. The total was 1467.8 mm which is 134% of the 30 year average and comfortably above the previous wettest in 2012 which recorded 1392.1 mm.  Taking a series of 5 year averages from the 1960s to present,  annual rainfall has increased by around 20% since the late 1970s/early 80s.

December was the wettest month I've recorded at this site with 256.9mm and, looking back at my other local records, was the wettest month since December 1965 which would have recorded about 275 mm here.

[Cwmbran Eira]

Met office 2023 summary here

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/binaries/content/assets/metofficegovuk/pdf/weather/learn-about/uk-past-events/summaries/uk_climate_summary_calendar_year_2023.pdf

Quite a localised picture in terms of anomalies. A dryer Western Scotland shows how weather systems/jet stream took a more southerly track. I do remember quite unusual patterns where we saw several low pressure systems tracking south or actually coming from a southerly direction as apposed to westerly or south westerly.

Thanks for the contribution all! some great information. Fingers crossed for a dryer 2024 

 

 

Edited January 4 by Cwmbran Eira

[In Absence of True Seasons]

Well, 2024 has set the tone very much in the same vein as 2023 - wet (and cloudy, obviously). 

Considering it's rained for what seems like 40 days and 40 nights now, I'm feeling quite biblical. Might have to start building myself an Ark at this rate.

Crazy stuff. Roads are all completely flooded in my area now. We desperately need a prolonged dry, sunny spell. Out poor wildlife must be completely obliterated by this unrelenting wetness. 

NW Scotland seems to have had a decent year though. Which is funny, because they also had a decent year in 2021, which was very rainy and cloudy for much of Southern England. Definitely seems to be a bit of a SE v NW split in terms of who gets the good conditions. 

Edited January 4 by In Absence of True Seasons

[Weather-history]

On 03/01/2024 at 19:30, cheeky_monkey said:

Looks to me as though there was a distinct drying trend form the early 1970s to the late 1990s  and a reversal of that trend since.

Yes and yet some think the  Azores high pressure is becoming more dominated. If that were the case then shouldn't the UK be returning more and more drier months and rainfall averages getting lower? Hasn't been happening, the rainfall totals gave gone up. 

[Metwatch]

[In Absence of True Seasons]

14 minutes ago, Metwatch said:

Wow! Not surprising, but nevertheless...wow. 

If we didn't see another drop of rain for the rest of the Winter, I'd be glad indeed. 

Huge swathes if the British countryside have turned into full on bogs judging by the photos on Twitter I've been seeing!

[Weather-history]

Looking at the rainfall stats since the start of March 2023 and July 2023 up to present day are staggering for parts of the UK.

--------------------------------------------------------

For the NW England/N Wales region as designated by the Met Office

1123.4mm since the start of July 2023.  An annual rainfall total of that amount would make that year the 32nd wettest on record for the region

March 2023-February 2024: 1406.6mm provisionally

December 1999-November 2000: 1403.3mm

The wettest year on record for the region is 1877 with 1375.7mm

-------------------------------------------------------

For England and Wales

March 2023-February 2024 provisionally: 1319mm

The wettest year on record is 1872 with 1284.9mm

July 2023-February 2024 provisionally: 1012.5mm

----------------------------------------------------

Central England region

March 2023-February 2024 provisionally: 980.5mm

Wettest year on record for that region is 1882: 884.6mm

July 2023-February 2024 provisionally: 752.6mm

------------------------------------

SW Region

March 2023-February 2024 provisionally: 1457.2mm

Wettest year on record for that region is 2012: 1395.7mm 

July 2023-February 2024 provisionally: 1114.9mm

 

Haven't got time to go through all the figures but welcome further addition to these amazing stats.

[Metwatch]

 Weather-history

Perhaps a "worringly wet" thread needed now which I think someone suggested not long ago! Maybe that would help to usher in a long dry spell into spring with a bit of reverse psychology!

[al78]

 Metwatch Worked in 1976 so why not try it?

[B87]

February 2024 was the 2nd wettest on record for London.

[Metwatch]

Copying over from moans thread it was the wettest winter on record for East Anglia, southern England and parts of the Midlands, such as here in Coventry overtaking the winters of:

327.0mm 1976-77

310.6mm 2013-14

287.8mm 1914-15

This winter there has been 341.8mm.