Wet end to October pushes rainfall levels above average as temperatures set to fall throughout November

Provisional Met Office figures show the UK had a wetter-than-average October, with rain concentrated in the final days as Storms Austen and Boelo brought disruption. The wet month comes as severe drought persists in parts of southern England and Wales after the record-hot summer, while forecasters warn of a possible cold snap later in November.

The UK received 138.9mm of rain, 13 per cent above the 1991-2020 average; Northern Scotland was 31 per cent wetter than usual. October 24 was provisionally the UK’s joint-sixth wettest day on record, and the storms contributed to England’s wettest week in two years. A polar vortex disturbance could lead to colder conditions in the weeks ahead, but a freeze is not certain; near-term forecasts point to mostly dry weather and chilly mornings.