Was this September the South East's wettest?

We've become used to warm sunshine as autumn begins - but not this year

In previous years, September has often felt like an extension of summer in south-east England, with long periods of warm, sunny, and dry weather.

But last month reminded us that it is still meteorologically classified as autumn, bringing a shift in weather patterns and making it one of the wettest on record.

At the beginning of the month, the weather followed a now familiar trend - high pressure bringing settled conditions with temperatures regularly hitting the mid-20s.

Sadly, this year’s warmth proved short-lived.

By mid-September, the weather took an abrupt turn as the jet stream shifted southwards, allowing a series of Atlantic low-pressure systems to sweep across southern England.

This meant that southern England had its wettest September since 1918. It was also its third wettest on record in a series from 1836.

Parts of Sussex and Surrey recorded nearly three times the average monthly rainfall.

Thunderstorms moved in across southern England in late September

While the rainfall was extreme, temperatures throughout September remained around average, with a mean of approximately 14°C, and sunshine levels were also close to normal.

The month's floods and numerous weather warnings stands in stark contrast to the warm and dry conditions for the same period in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Last year, the average temperature for September was 3.5°C to 4°C - above the long-term average - while rainfall in Kent, Sussex and Surrey was just 20% of the September monthly average.

Looking ahead, the forecast suggests that October will bring more changeable and unsettled conditions as autumn takes hold.

Early indications point to occasional periods of quite windy weather especially at the end of next week.

Although ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirk could stir things up a bit and bring us something completely different.