WIREDGOV

The opening weeks of 2026 have been exceptionally wet across the UK. A strong and unusually southerly jet stream has steered a succession of low‑pressure systems towards our shores, bringing frequent rain, strong winds and, at times, wintry hazards.

The pattern has been notable not only for how often rain has arrived, but also for how slowly some fronts have cleared, leaving many places with the sense that winter has been ‘stuck on repeat’.  

An exceptionally wet start to the year 

January was markedly wet in several regions, including southwest England, eastern Scotland and Northern Ireland. Cornwall and County Down recorded their wettest January on record, while Northern Ireland saw its wettest January is 149 years. Across the UK, 26 stations set new monthly records for highest January rainfall. Daily records also fell: Plymouth recorded its wettest January day in 104 years, Hurn (Dorset) in 74 years and Dunkeswell (Devon) in 57 years. Each of these figures helps to demonstrate that 2026 has started not just wetter than average, but with rainfall intensities and frequencies that rival some of the most notable periods in the observing record.  

How much has it rained so far in February? 

Provisional Met Office figures for February so far (up to and including 8 February) show that rainfall has continued to run ahead of schedule in many parts of the UK. The UK has already seen 37% of the average rainfall expected for the whole of February, while England has already reached 59% of its monthly average. There is a clear north–south split within England: northern England has so far seen 39% of its February average, compared with 72% in southern England. Wales has reached 39% of its February monthly average and Northern Ireland 36%, while Scotland has had 21% of its average February rainfall. Within Scotland, regional contrasts are pronounced - northern Scotland has seen just 9% so far and western Scotland 12%, while eastern Scotland has reached 59% of its full February average rainfall already. 

At a county level, some areas have already exceeded their full‑month average rainfall. City of Aberdeen has reached 180% of its February average, Kincardineshire 152%, and Angus 130%. Further south, the Isle of Wight has already reached 108% of its average and Worcestershire 103%. These early‑month figures illustrate how the persistent unsettled pattern has front‑loaded rainfall totals, with some locations surpassing an entire month’s typical rainfall within the first eight days. 

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