Wettest September in southern England for more than a century

Some counties in central and southern England had three times their expected September rainfall, and more rain in one month than would normally fall during the whole of autumn.

Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire have not previously recorded so much September rainfall, with records going back 187 years.

Additionally, the Met Office said that Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire had their wettest calendar month ever recorded in a series going back to 1836.

Woburn in Bedfordshire saw 248mm (9.8in) of rain, compared to a September average for the town of just 55mm (2.2in) – more than four times the average.

This far exceeds Woburn’s previous wettest month when 182mm (7.2in) was recorded back in November 1940.

The frequent downpours left the ground saturated and led to flooding across much of central and southern England over recent weeks.

Some of the worst affected river catchments included the Nene in Cambridgeshire and the Great Ouse in Bedfordshire where Environment Agency flood warnings, external were issued frequently over the past month.