The Autumn of 2000 was the wettest since records
began in 1766. In all, 503 mm of rain fell during this
exceptionally wet and unsettled period. In October, 188 mm
of rain was recorded in England and Wales, followed by 182 mm
in November. In all, the total for 2000 was 251 mm above
the average for this season. Not surprisingly, many parts of
the United Kingdom experienced flooding, and there was major
disruption to travel and sporting events as frontal system
after frontal system swept across the country. |
The problems began during the period between 9 and
12 October, when a complex low pressure cell built up over Northern
Ireland and Scotland, bringing heavy rain and wind. Then, between
11 and 12 October, southern parts of the country were affected
by a slow-moving area of heavy rain. In Kent and Sussex, torrential
downpours occurred, with between 4 and 6 inches (100-150 mm)
of rain falling overnight.
Further frontal systems passed over the UK during
the next fortnight or so, as a low pressure cell
gradually established itself to the north-west
of the country. This drove belts of rain and
heavy showers across the country and, in some
parts of the country, quite significant amounts
of rain fell on every day of the month. By the
final week of October, many rivers in the country
were either swollen with floodwater or had burst
their banks.
|

Britain takes a battering
|