Britain deluged by rain for 40 days straight – how dangerous is it and the way lengthy will it final? | EUROtoday

Like some form of biblical punishment, wet previous Blighty appears even rainier than ever, with 40 consecutive days of rain falling from slate-grey skies making every single day to date in 2026 a moist one.

And there’s extra to return. “We start the week once again with more rain in the places that we’ve seen a lot of rain in the last few weeks,” mentioned Met Office meteorologist Aiden McGivern, “and for some that means it’s the 40th day of rain this year”.

The Environment Agency has issued greater than 100 flood warnings, whereas the Met Office has issued yellow rain warnings for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with the south west and Scotland bearing the brunt because the inclement climate continues, whereas one other band of heavy rain is forecast throughout a lot of the remainder of the nation too.

This is all accompanied by “extensive low cloud and mist and some fog in places,” Mr McGivern added.

This has made it “an exceptionally wet start to the year”, the Met Office mentioned, leaving many locations with the sense that “winter has been stuck on repeat”.

How moist has it been?

Very moist. Cornwall and County Down in Ireland each logged their wettest January on file, whereas Northern Ireland endured its wettest in 149 years.

Across the UK, 26 stations set new month-to-month rainfall information, whereas a number of every day information additionally fell – Plymouth noticed its wettest January day in 104 years, Hurn in Dorset in 74 years, and Dunkeswell in Devon in 57 years.

The figures point out that 2026 has splashed down with a rainfall depth and frequency rivalling a few of the most excessive intervals ever noticed within the nation.

Spare a thought for the saturated souls residing in North Wyke in Devon, Cardinham in Cornwall and Astwood Bank in Worcestershire – locations which have every logged 40 consecutive moist days – from 31 December to eight February.

Meanwhile two different locations – Liscombe in Somerset and Camborne in Cornwall – have seen 37 straight days of rain over virtually the identical interval.

But maybe bleakest of all is the information that Aberdeen hasn’t seen a single minute of sunshine for 2 weeks and counting – the longest interval for the world since information started in 1957.

The UK has already reached 89 per cent of its common winter rainfall, with England surpassing its seasonal norm at 111 per cent. Wales stands at 94 per cent, and Northern Ireland has edged above common at 101 per cent. Scotland is decrease at 69 per cent, although that nationwide determine masks sharp regional contrasts on this winter’s climate, the Met Office mentioned.

What’s driving the deluge, and when is it going to stop?

According to the Met Office’s chief forecaster Neil Armstrong, the relentless mizzle, drizzle, rain and downpours throughout the nation have “been driven by a strong, south-shifted jet stream steering low pressure systems directly towards the UK.

“Cold plunges of air throughout North America have strengthened the temperature gradient throughout the northwest Atlantic, energising the jet, whereas a blocking excessive over northern Europe has prevented climate fronts from clearing, inflicting them to stall over the UK.

“The result has been continuous waves of rain, strong winds, and hill snow in parts of Scotland,” he added.

His colleagues have additionally shed some gentle on when the rain will go away, however have additionally warned it’s set to return one other day – and shortly.

“If you’re sick of all this kind of weather, well there is some hope on the horizon – something a little less wet heading our way for later in the week and into the weekend,” Mr McGivern mentioned.

But this break could also be short-lived. Deputy chief forecaster Steven Keates added: “We are likely to see the transition from wet and windy weather to colder, more settled conditions towards the end of the week, with Saturday looking a fine day for many. But, this reprieve doesn’t last long, as the next set of Atlantic weather fronts looks set to move in from the west at the end of the weekend.”

As average temperatures rise due to the climate crisis, forecasters have previously warned that wetter weather is increasingly likely, as a warmer atmosphere can hold more water.

What has been the impact?

For humans the impact is increased flood risk, chaotic travel, saturated farmland, and obviously despair at the constant gloom.

Meanwhile for the natural world, the unusually wet weather also represents major challenges for some species.

Experts at the Wildlife Trusts have warned the extreme weather may already be taking a toll on many creatures, as saturated farmland leaches pollutants into Britain’s already environmentally-compromised waterways.

As well as species living in the rivers, those dwelling in riverbanks, such as water voles and kingfishers are particularly at risk from unusually high river levels.

Eleanor Johnston, climate change manager at The Wildlife Trusts, told The Independent: “As global temperatures rise, we can expect more extreme weather like flooding as warmer, wetter winters are dominated by heavy rainfall.

“This impacts the locations we dwell and our public security, in addition to farmland and our pure world. For occasion, heavy rainfall can push extra pollution into our waterways and throughout fields, impacting the fragile ecosystems, whereas water voles, kingfishers and different wildlife could discover their riverbank houses flooded out or washed away.”

She said that this can mean the loss of eggs and young, which can then have an impact further up the food chain, affecting birds like owls and larger mammals too.

“Flooding additionally exacerbates the unfold of invasive non-native species [such as] Himalayan balsam, sign crayfish and related ailments … by serving to disperse seeds downstream,” she added.

But it is not time to fireplace up the ark simply but. The organisation is looking for extra nature-based options to sort out the UK’s rising flood threat, together with restoration of bogs, wetlands, peatlands, all designed to carry extra water within the panorama, slowing runoff – which reduces the affect of floods – in addition to offering a lot wanted habitat for species corresponding to curlew, golden plover and inexperienced hairstreak butterflies.