UK Weather: Why is there so much rain right now?

"Rain, rain, go away..." - that's what many of us may have been saying this year as it's certainly been soggy so far.

A wet Easter bank holiday weekend for many has been and gone, and BBC Weather says that March 2024 followed a few months of above average rainfall for most of the UK.

According to the Met Office, which provides weather forecasting and climate science, the winter of 2023/2024 has been the eighth wettest on record in the UK.

So let's take a closer look at the amount of rain we've seen and the reasons behind this damp weather.

How rainy has it been?

The south of England experienced its wettest February in 2024 since 1836, according to the Met Office, and England has recorded its fourth wettest February on record, although February 2020 was much wetter.

Many parts of southern England recorded well over twice the average rainfall.

Why is it raining so much right now?

BBC Weather expert Simon King says one thing to blame for the wet weather right now is the jet stream - a fast wind high in the atmosphere - which is bringing rainy weather across the Atlantic Ocean to the UK.

The jet stream is currently south of the UK and it's only when it either weakens, or moves to the north of the UK, that we could see drier - and maybe warmer - conditions.

Which parts of the UK get the most rain?

Blaenau Ffestiniog in Wales

The wettest parts of the UK are found in areas with mountains.

According to the Met Office, Eryri (formerly Snowdonia) in Wales, the Lake District in England and the Scottish Highlands all received more than four metres of rainfall in a year.

This is because the temperatures in these areas are colder than sea temperatures, so the warm air rises and then cools, forming clouds and rain.

One of the wettest places in Wales - Blaenau Ffestiniog - is found in the middle of Eryri National Park.

It's so wet that people living in the town even hold a Festival of Rain (Gwyl Glaw) to celebrate.

When was the wettest day in Britain?

The Met Office says the wettest day recorded in Britain was 5 December 2015.

Honister Pass in Cumbria recorded 341.4 mm worth of rain in a single day.

The heavy rainfall was the result of Storm Desmond which brought widespread heavy rain and storm force winds to areas of Scotland and northern England.

Where is the wettest place in the world?

Mawsynram is the rainiest place in the world

The town of Mawsynram in north east India has an average of of 11,971 mm rainfall each year - that's twice as tall as a giraffe.

In comparison, the UK's average annual rainfall is 1,154 mm which is around half as tall as the average Christmas tree.

The reason for its torrential downpours comes down to its geography as Mawsynram is near to the Bay of Bengal and high up in the Garo Hills, to the south of the Himalayas.

People who live in Mawsynram are used to rainy days

Moist winds are caught against the mountains creating huge amounts of rainfall.

Villagers there weave traditional umbrellas made out of bamboo and banana leaves.

It's known as a "knup" and is used to shelter from the downpours. So it's definitely a place to bring your anorak to!

Where is the driest place in the world?

The Atacama Desert in South America is one of the world's driest places

According to Guinness World Records, the award for the driest continent goes to Antarctica.

The cold air there can't hold much water and it's technically a desert.

The driest place overall is the Atacama Desert in Chile.

Between 1964 and 2001, the average annual rainfall for the meteorological station in Quillagua was just 0.5 millimetres - that's four times smaller than a tiny ant.