Oxford researchers record wettest month in 250 years. Credit: Doctor_bass, Getty Images

Published

3 Oct 2024

Oxford researchers record wettest month in 250 years

Oxford University researchers have recorded the wettest month in Oxford in 250 years at the Radcliffe Meteorological Station. Data from the station this week confirmed that September 2024 saw an extraordinary 193.3 mm of rainfall, making it Oxford’s wettest month since 1774 and the second wettest of any month since rainfall records began in 1767.

Charlie Knight, current doctoral researcher and Radcliffe Meteorological Observer, remarked, 'this exceptional amount of rainfall is particularly unusual given that September is typically not a very wet month, averaging 52 mm of rain. Only about one year in ten is it the wettest month of the year. So this month’s rainfall, which is 374% of what we’d normally expect, is remarkable. And even more so when you consider that most of the month’s rain fell across just two days.'

Charlie Knight takes a rainfall measurement with a rain gauge at the Radcliffe Meteorological Station Credit: Charlie Knight

The majority of the month’s rain fell on 22 September (77.1 mm 09-09h) and 23 September (41.8 mm 09-09h), which combined is the highest two-day total in the station’s history. Nearby Environmental Agency (EA) gauges support the Radcliffe rainfall totals, with one gauge at Osney Lock recording 101.1 mm in just under 23 hours on 23 September.

The Radcliffe Meteorological Station, managed by the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford, holds the longest series of temperature and rainfall records for one site in Britain. Monthly rainfall records extend to 1767, while daily records extend back to December 1813 for air temperature, January 1827 for rainfall, and February 1880 for sunshine hours.

Such long-term weather records are invaluable for climate research. They provide a vital link between modern weather data and those of the 18th and 19th centuries, allowing researchers to assess how today’s weather fits into historical patterns and how the climate is evolving, especially in light of global warming.