Met Office confirms the last 18 months are the wettest since records began nearly 200-years-ago

Sunderland has always experienced changeable weather, but a washout summer, followed by a stormy autumn and winter and a damp start to spring has left many people, including me, questioning if the wet weather we are experiencing is worse than normal?

For what seems like months, very few days seem to pass by without at least some rainfall and a whole series of events - the most recent being the Penshaw Bowl - have been cancelled due to the wet weather and waterlogged ground.

Well now it’s official, the Met Office’s most recently published figures have officially confirmed the last 18 months, from October 2022 to the end of March 2024, 1,695.9mm of rain fell across the country.

This is the highest amount of rain for any 18-month period in England since the Met Office began collecting comparable data back in 1836.

Met Office meteorologist, Emily Carlisle said: "Many will remember how wet March has been, with a succession of fronts and the influence of low pressure seemingly never too far away from the UK.

"Coming off the back of a wet winter and what has been a wet start to the year, many areas have very saturated ground, which has increased the sensitivity to rainfall events in recent weeks."

The reason for the current wet weather, as has been the case during much of this period, is the southward shift of the Jet Stream, which often sits further to the north, but is currently driving low pressure systems off the Atlantic and across the country.

As our climate continues to warm, there is always the potential for higher levels of rainfall, with warmer air able to hold more moisture, giving greater potential for rain to form.

The latest figures reveal a worrying trend of wetter weather as the second highest 18 month period of rainfall was set a month earlier, with 1,680.2mm of rainfall across England between September 2022 to February 2024.

The third highest figure on record, 1,668.4mm, was set in the 18 months up to January 2021.

Sadly there is little sign of any prolonged dry sunny weather for Sunderland or indeed the country as a whole.

The long range Met Office forecast for the period Monday April 8 to Wednesday April 17 stated: “The ongoing unsettled spell of weather is likely to continue through to mid-April with little sign of any dramatic change.

“All areas can expect to see showers or longer spells of rain at times, with western hills likely to see the largest rainfall totals. Likewise, further windy spells are expected at times.

“Above average temperatures are most likely, albeit often tempered by cloud, rain and occasional strong winds.”