Scientists at Lancaster University’s Hazelrigg weather station say we have just experienced by far the wettest ever February since their records began in 1966.

Our region has seen more than three times as much rain as the average February, with 246.9 mm recorded at the site. The next wettest February on record was in 1997 which notched up 177.9 mm of rain at the site.

February 2020 saw 246.9 mm of rainfall – compared with an average of 72mm.

Wettest Februaries:

2020 246.9 mm

1997 177.9 mm

2002 177.0 mm

1990 155.0 mm

2001 133.6 mm

The figures also make this February the wettest month the site has recorded in terms of departure from the monthly average.

Dr James Heath, from Lancaster Environment Centre, said: "Our region has seen a 30 per cent increase in winter rainfall over the past 50 years, a trend which is entirely consistent with climate predictions in a warming world, and which is likely to lead to increased frequency of extreme rainfall events such as Storms Ciara and Dennis.

“Of course, it's not just our region that has been affected this winter. We've seen repeated, severe disruption and damage to property up and down the country, affecting thousands of lives."