Wettest winter on record for parts of the UK, says Met Office

Winter was the wettest on record for parts of the UK, according to provisional figures from the Met Office.

Cornwall, Leicestershire and the West Midlands experienced their wettest winter since comparable records started in 1836.

Dorset and Warwickshire had their second wettest winter, while southern England experienced its fourth wettest.

The period saw the UK as a whole record 13% more rainfall than the long-term average.

There was 390.1mm of rain, but this was still below the UK's all-time high of 539.9mm recorded in 2014.

The Met Office said there were "substantial regional differences" with the wet weather "particularly pronounced" in southern and central England.

England received 42% more rain than usual across December, January and February - but Scotland finished the winter 14% below its seasonal average.

There was also a geographical divide in England, with rainfall in the north 17% above average, while it was 58% above average in the south.

Northern Ireland received 27% more rain than the long-term average, while Wales had 20% more rain.

Find out the forecast for your area

Three named storms in January - Goretti, Ingrid and Chandra - all brought downpours to many areas, leading to flooding and widespread travel disruption.

In February, there were some of the lowest sunshine totals on record for all four UK nations, despite "exceptionally mild conditions".

The weather agency said every UK nation ranked within its top 10 dullest Februarys on record, "reflecting the dominance of cloud-bearing Atlantic systems and very limited high-pressure influence".

The Met Office said the "broader winter picture shows just how varied conditions have been around the UK".

Dr Amy Doherty added: "Some southern and central areas of the UK experienced persistent rainfall, leading to saturated ground and several areas recording one of their wettest winters on record."

Read more from Sky News:
Will cost of petrol rise due to Middle East conflict?
Drones intercepted heading to Cyprus

Although the winter has been "heavily influenced by natural variability and atmospheric patterns", climate change continues to provide "important context", the agency said.

A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, approximately 7% more for every degree Celsius of warming, meaning rain is "heavier and more intense", it added.

(c) Sky News 2026: Wettest winter on record for parts of the UK, says Met Office