Autumn 2000: Phenomenally wet

[Weather-history]

September 2000 saw the start of an exceptionally wet period which was to last more or less until the following April. It was the wettest September since 1981 with 132.6mm and had a CET of 14.7. Some of the notable features of the month was the heatwave just before mid-month with Jersey recording 28C on the 10th and Hawarden reaching 29C on the 11th. The heatwave ended with severe thunderstorms across northern England and southern Scotland. It was wet from the 14th to the 21st with much heavy rain with flooding at Portsmouth.

Here's some data from this month.

Aberdeen

Mean Max: 15.5C (+0.0) Rainfall: 102mm (151%)

Glasgow

Mean Max: 16.8C (+1.5) Rainfall: 164mm (122%)

Manchester

Mean Max: 18.3C (+1.3) Rainfall: 116mm (156%)

Heathrow

Mean Max: 20.1C (+0. Rainfall: 106mm (207%)

Belfast

Mean Max: 17.1C (+1.2) Rainfall: 134mm (158%)

October 2000 was the wettest October since 1903 with an EWR of 188.0mm. It had a CET of 10.3 and a sunshine total of 90.7hrs, the dullest since 1991.

The wet weather of September continued into the October with a succession of low pressures and frontal systems crossing the UK, there was not a single day that an anticyclone was over the UK.

As a result of the rainfalls, there were flooding especially in Surrey and Kent on the 10th and 11th, where heavy rain and thunderstorms became slow moving. Lewes and Uckfield were the worst hit towns, at Uckfield, 150mm+ of rain fell in 12 hours. Residents had to be rescued from the floodwaters and hundreds were made homeless.

On the 29th, a wave rapidly deepened and this brought weather chaos to much of England and Wales on the 30th. Across northern England as the exceptional low pressure of 950mb tracked across the region, the torrential rain turned to snow down to sea level.

Further south, torrential rain and severe gales were causing chaos with uprooted trees blocking roads and rail, thousands without electricity. Sadly 3 people lost their lives due to the adverse conditions. 2 people were injured when a tornado struck Selsey on the south coast.

Flooding became a serious problem across the UK during October 2000, with the storm compounding the problem giving many areas rainfall totals of 1"+. More than 20 rivers were on severe flood alert after the storm.

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/20...00120001030.gif

Here's some rainfall totals for this month

Aberdeen

Rainfall: 109mm (124%)

Manchester

Rainfall: 194mm (252%)

Cambridge

Rainfall: 120mm (245%)

Heathrow

Rainfall: 155mm (268%)

Swansea

Rainfall: 227mm (182%)

Belfast

Rainfall: 147mm (165%)

November 2000 was the wettest November since 1940 with an EWR of 182.1mm. This produced a total of 502.7mm for Autumn 2000, the wettest Autumn ever recorded.

As a result of the wetness of the Autumn, there was severe flooding across a number of rivers around the UK including the Severn and the Ouse at York where the height of the river was at its highest ever recorded. There were very few dry days and rainfalls were often prolong and intense. The last week of November was very mild, similiar to that of late November 1979 with maxima as high as 17C at Torquay on the 28th.

Here's some rainfall data for this month.

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/20...00120001106.gif

Aberdeen 138mm (185%)

Manchester 181mm (232%)

Cambridge 115mm (226%)

Heathrow 100mm (181%)

Belfast 111mm (142%)

The wettest days during Autumn 2000 for England and Wales

19th September: 23.72mm

9th October: 20.76mm

29th October: 39.96mm

5th November: 32.40mm

Autumn 2000 was the wettest ever season recorded for England and Wales since at least 1766

For Scotland and Northern Ireland, it wasn't quite as wet as for England and Wales but it was still way above average.

In Manchester, there was only 3 dry days in the whole of October and November combined.

Even into the first half of December, the wet weather continued, the 7th being a particularly wet day

The last 4 months of 2000 recorded a total of 644.9mm of rain for England and Wales, more than has been recorded for the first 9 months of 2006 and the whole of 1921.

The period September 1st 2000 -30th April 2001 recorded 1042.1mm of rainfall, there have only been 10 complete years since World War II wetter than this

[Weather-history]

Autumn 2000

For SE England

Sept: 86.1mm

Oct: 185.9mm

Nov: 146.6mm

For SW England and south Wales

Sept: 144.9mm

Oct: 202.2mm

Nov: 211.1mm

For Central England

Sept: 101.9mm

Oct: 104.7mm

Nov: 108.0mm

For NW England and north Wales

Sept: 129.0mm

Oct: 217.5mm

Nov: 204.1mm

For NE England

Sept: 150.1mm

Oct: 146.4mm

Nov: 166.0mm

For southern Scotland

Sept: 211.3mm

Oct: 233.2mm

Nov: 188.7mm

For northern Scotland

Sept: 124.2mm

Oct: 216.7mm

Nov: 175.7mm

For eastern Scotland

Sept: 73.5mm

Oct: 97.8mm

Nov: 115.0mm

For Northern Ireland

Sept: 105.2mm

Oct: 163.9mm

Nov: 141.1mm

[Weather-history]

Wettest ever seasons for England and Wales since 1766 (400mm+)

Autumn 2000: 502.7mm

Autumn 1852: 455.8mm

Autumn 1960: 438.6mm

Autumn 1935: 424.1mm

Winter 1915: 423.0mm

Winter 1990: 420.9mm

Winter 1877: 418.3mm

Winter 1995: 415.6mm

Summer 1912: 409.7mm

Summer 1879: 409.2mm

Autumn 1770: 402.4mm

Autumn 1772: 400.6mm

Edited October 24, 2006 by Mr_Data

[reef]

I remember that Autumn like yesterday. At the time I was at college and used to cycle the 2 mile trip everyday. I dont think there were many days when I didnt get wet! There was also a 6 inch deep pool of water at the end of the garden which was still there by February!

I also remember seeing the floods at York too. The car park close to the river Ouse was completely submerged by over 10 feet of water along with the nearby park aswell. Certainly an extremely wet Autumn which didnt help as it came after two wet years in 1998 and 1999. Somwhow it is ironic that only 6 years later we have drought problems in the south.

Edited October 24, 2006 by reef

[Angel15]

I remember that Autumn like yesterday. At the time I was at college and used to cycle the 2 mile trip everyday. I dont think there were many days when I didnt get wet! There was also a 6 inch deep pool of water at the end of the garden which was still there by February!

I also remember seeing the floods at York too. The car park close to the river Ouse was completely submerged by over 10 feet of water along with the nearby park aswell. Certainly an extremely wet Autumn which didnt help as it came after two wet years in 1998 and 1999. Somwhow it is ironic that only 6 years later we have drought problems in the south.

Yes and the hosepipe ban is still in place - not that we need a hosepipe for the garden now!

And water bills are set to rise by 70%!!!!

http://money.uk.msn.com/MyMoney/Insight/Sp...umentid=1110825

Edited October 24, 2006 by Angel15

[Summer of 95]

Wettest ever seasons for England and Wales since 1766 (400mm+)

Autumn 2000: 502.7mm

Autumn 1852: 455.8mm

Autumn 1960: 438.6mm

Autumn 1935: 424.1mm

Winter 1915: 423.0mm

Winter 1990: 420.9mm

Winter 1877: 418.3mm

Winter 1995: 415.6mm

Summer 1912: 409.7mm

Summer 1879: 409.2mm

Autumn 1770: 402.4mm

Autumn 1772: 400.6mm

Just out of interest, what is the wettest spring and where does it come in the overall table?

[Weather-history]

Just out of interest, what is the wettest spring and where does it come in the overall table?

Spring 1782 with 363.0mm, joint 37th wettest season ever recorded

Spring is the driest season on average, whilst autumn is the wettest on average

Edited October 24, 2006 by Mr_Data

[Weather-history]

10 years on.....

May-July 2007 was bad but that comes behind this autumn for me for wetness. Rain, rain and nothing but rain!

Edited September 18, 2010 by Mr_Data

[I remember Atlantic 252]

was a horrid autumn, on 7th Nov 2000 my tenpin league was rained off, tenpin indoor game

[cheeky_monkey]

yeah a real stinker of an autumn..i was working building a new hotel in south devon and we recorded 118 consecutive days of rainfall from 25th August 2000 to 22nd December 2000 amazing really when you think bout it.

[AderynCoch]

I won't forget this autumn in a hurry - wave upon wave upon wave of Atlantic depressions. There was a period of several weeks when I didn't see a single day without rain. Half the school yard was turned into a lake, and I couldn't walk across grass for months because every patch had been turned into a quagmire.

[Weather-history]

On the 29th, a wave rapidly deepened and this brought weather chaos to much of England and Wales on the 30th. Across northern England as the exceptional low pressure of 950mb tracked across the region, the torrential rain turned to snow down to sea level.

Further south, torrential rain and severe gales were causing chaos with uprooted trees blocking roads and rail, thousands without electricity. Sadly 3 people lost their lives due to the adverse conditions. 2 people were injured when a tornado struck Selsey on the south coast.

Flooding became a serious problem across the UK during October 2000, with the storm compounding the problem giving many areas rainfall totals of 1"+. More than 20 rivers were on severe flood alert after the storm.

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/20...00120001030.gif

Here's some rainfall totals for this month

Its coming up to the 10th anniversary of this event. I remember waking up and the rain pouring it down outside and the field behind our house having a small lake on it. Looked at the barometer and saw how low it was and how much it had fallen in a few hours.

What was the big surprise, was when it turned to snow! Certainly something that will live in the memory

[Weather-history]

Its coming up to the 10th anniversary of this event. I remember waking up and the rain pouring it down outside and the field behind our house having a small lake on it. Looked at the barometer and saw how low it was and how much it had fallen in a few hours.

What was the big surprise, was when it turned to snow! Certainly something that will live in the memory

Synoptic chart

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/interesting/images/ASXX00103006.gif

Radar image

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/interesting/radar30-10-2000.html

[philglossop]

Not an Autumn I look back on with anysort of fondness- I was at University at the time and remember the wet weather very well. On the 15th of November my appendix decided to play up and I spent the end of November in ICU in Derriford Hospital (lucky to come out alive)- I do remember the beginning of December being warmer- but that could be my mind playing tricks!

[Radiating Dendrite]

I remember the snow from this (I lived in N. Wales).

Looking at the chart archive the 850s seemed way too high to support snow, how come it fell?

[Nick F]

Certainly was a wild and very wet autumn period in 2000 from memory. I was living in Brighton at the time, and remember a very wet autumn night, especially being out and about in the evening, and there being continuous torrential rain for several hours during the evening and throughout the night – thinking this isn’t good. The next day Lewes up the road was in the news for the severe flooding in the town when the River Ouse burst its banks and flooded the lower part of the town.

I also remember in Brighton the normally dry chalk valleys at the base of the South Downs on the outskirts of the town developing springs and large lakes in the lower areas. As some may remember learning about dry chalk valleys in their Geography lessons, due to the fact that chalk acts as a giant sponge keeping the surface dry. But because there was so much rain that year, the chalk sponge had reached saturation and was leaking.

The severe gale that ripped through parts of England later in the month also spawned several tornadoes. All-in-all, a pretty noteworthy autumn for me and certainly sticks in my memory. I am fascinated by extreme weather, so the period certainly had plenty to offer in this respect. Though I respect it caused much damage to lives and property and also injury and some deaths, but so does cold weather with snow and ice unfortunately.

[ZONE 51]

This period caused the riverwey(byfleet/weybridge) and rivermole(dorking to walton/hersham to flood, i recall the rain gauge overflowing one night, it held 2inces max! the flooding of the rivers was the worst i have experienced.

The night the rain gauge overflowing i remember now i recorded 3inces, and that was after loads of rain and before more fell!

[GRHinPorts]

I remember this autumn like it was yesterday because I had just gotten into gardening, and was trying to plant various things in absolutely sodden soil. The floods at Portsmouth in that September were actually brought on by blocked drains in addition to torrential downpours by the way. One of my friends had his entire lower appartment flooded out though as a result.

One of my memories from that December was reading a cricket report from Adelaide in South Australia where they were mentioning the fact that they had gone 39 consecutive days with drought conditions and the writer had waggishly written: "of course in the UK at the moment they are getting excited if it stops raining for 39 consecutive minutes"

Was one of the more notable weather events of the past 14 years here I would say. And the final verdict on this was when a late Spring yielded up some of the most incredible and vivid greenery I have seen on the deciduous trees in the May of 2001.