By Rebecca SheppardTROPICAL storms, remnants of hurricanes and torrential downpours made last month the second wettest August in more than 85 years.East Anglian Daily Times weatherman, Ken Blowers, said 4.
By Rebecca Sheppard
TROPICAL storms, remnants of hurricanes and torrential downpours made last month the second wettest August in more than 85 years.
East Anglian Daily Times weatherman, Ken Blowers, said 4.88in of rain fell in the region from the beginning of August to yesterday, compared with the 60-year average for the month of 2.28in.
This month has been sodden in comparison to August last year, which saw blistering temperatures and just a quarter of an inch of rain fall in East Anglia.
Looking through the record books, Mr Blowers said last month was the wettest August since 1999, when 5.54in of rain was recorded, and the second wettest since 1916, when 6.50in of rain fell.
And he added that the Meteorological Office at Wattisham Airfield had recorded the most rainfall in August since its records began in 1959 at 5.07in.
Mr Blowers said 19.65in of rain had fallen in Suffolk in the first eight months of this year, 4.84in more than the 60-year average.
There were also 16 days last month when some rain fell in East Anglia - three more than the typical August.
Mr Blowers said: "It has been quite a rare thing this year. We have caught the remnants of three hurricanes. They were Hurricane Bonnie, Charley and Danielle.
"Because we get the tail end of the hurricanes, they feed hot, moist air into the UK and that was one of the chief causes of these torrential downpours.
"The rain in July and August has come in great spurts of heavy, torrential rain of a tropical intensity."
He added: "It is fairly rare to have these hurricanes come across the Atlantic and return eastwards to end up quite close to the British Isles as deep depressions.
"The other thing that caused it was the jet stream. Instead of being where it usually is across the north of the British Isles, it was to the south this summer.
"The jet stream is a high altitude belt of very strong winds, which determine the path of depressions at the surface."
Mr Blowers said today and tomorrow with be dry with sunny periods, but warned the weekend would see the return of periods of rain and strong winds.
rebecca.sheppard@eadt.co.uk
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