The UK has endured a record-breaking 42 consecutive days of rainfall with forecasters warning the gloomy conditions will continue for several more weeks to come
Brits have been hammered with a relentless deluge of rain for weeks in some parts of the country, leading many to ask when will it end and what is causing it?
The UK entered a record-breaking 42 consecutive days of rain with forecasters predicting it will continue for several more days at least. Met Office forecasters warned today will remain “largely cloudy with outbreaks of rain” and instances of snowfall in regions where temperatures will plunge to below zero.
Rainfall is forecast to continue into Friday to Sunday with long range predictions also painting an equally dire picture for the most part. The downpour has sparked dozens of flood warnings and alerts with swollen rivers at tipping point.
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Low-pressure weather systems stalling across the UK have been blamed for seemingly endless rainfall. The consistent rain is more commonly known as a “blocked” weather system.
They can arrive in different forms, delivering a prolonged dry spell and also heatwaves. But in this instance, the low pressure became stuck above the UK, resulting in heavy rainfall.
Blocked weather patterns typically happen due to changes in the jet steam. In instances where the stream shifts as it flows, it leads to pressure getting trapped in its curved paths. This ultimately results in the same weather over several days.
WXCharts maps, which use MetDesk data, reveal prolonged showers and snowfall across much of the country. There does appear to be brief dry spells on Saturday and February 21, but they do do not last long with upward of 2.5inces of rain being predicted to fall in Wales and southern England with northern England and Scotland getting pummelled by an inch of snowfall on Monday, February 23.
This stalling effect has contributed to yellow rain, snow and ice warnings being issued for parts of Scotland and northern England today through to Friday. Rain warnings will remain in place for the east cast of Scotland as well as the country’s west coast, near Glasgow, until midnight.
A snow and ice yellow warning will remain in effect from 4pm tomorrow until 12pm on Friday and covers all of Scotland and stretches down into Derbyshire in northern England.
Met Office forecaster Nasir did offer some glimmer of hope though id today’s morning forecast noting: “A real change [is] coming our way through Saturday. I can promise a little bit of drier and brighter weather.”
Despite the turn towards a brief drier spell for parts of Saturday, there will be continued instances of wintry showers and frost. The glimmer of hope over an end in rainfall will be extinguished come Sunday when more rainfall glides across the Irish Sea.
“Showers or longer spells of rain are expected as Atlantic low pressure systems dominate in the vicinity of the UK,” the Met Office added in its long-range forecast for February 15 through t February 24. “Some heavy rain is likely in places, probably focussed on western hills, with some snow at times in the north, mainly on high ground. Strong winds are possible at times, especially around coasts. Temperatures will probably be near normal. Later in the period, there is a chance that drier, more settled conditions may begin to develop.”
