Climate Change – Extreme Weather

By |Published On: February 9th, 2021|Categories: News|

Climate change refers to changes in the Earth’s climates, at local, regional, or global scales, and is most commonly used to describe anthropogenic, or human-caused, climate change.



Extreme weather in the form of heavy, intense, persistent and torrential rain is likely to get worse and more frequent. It’s no longer unusual for us to hear that a months rain will fall in a single day which habitually create havoc in many ways including flooding, property damage and danger to life.

As homes and communities in the UK continue to suffer from flooding and property damage caused by excessive rainfall particularly from bursts of persistent and torrential rain, many studies claim there could be heavier downpours in the future.

A department from the University of Plymouth who have been studying the weather for over 150 years have found that Britain has been getting wetter each year and predict that this is set to continue with even more rainfall and heavier downpours.

As the MET office warns that extreme weather in the UK will get worse and more frequent, they say summers are getting hotter – with “increases in the intensity of heavy summer rainfall events. Winter and autumn are also getting warmer and wetter – and a report predicts we will see a “change in the seasonality of extremes”

However researches found that the MET office national climate models still underestimate the significance of downpours the UK is likely to get in spring, summer and autumn in the coming decades.


Average Rainfall in the UK

So how much rainfall do we currently get in the UK? On average, we see approximately 71mm (2.8″) of rain per month, with October through to January generally being wetter months and overall October is most likely to be the wettest.

We currently see around 133 days of rain each year, which is a whopping 11 days per month on average. This is over a third of the month that you will see some form of precipitation!

Average Rainfall Per Month UK

0
Average No. of Rainy Days Each Month
0
Average No. of Days With Rain Per Year

Property Rainwater Drainage – Gutters and drains

Just like our ageing sewerage system, roof gutters can quickly become overwhelmed, as they were not originally designed to accommodate the increasing levels of rain water they are now expected to carry especially if they are not maintained. A poorly maintained gutter or drain that is full of debris can significantly reduce the amount of rainwater it can hold and hinder its ability to drain rainwater away from the property effectively, increasing the risk of flooding and damage.

Just a little excess water from blocked or leaking gutters and drains can result in a number of problems. Algae, moss and vegetation grows more persistently, while in the winter months, ice and frost becomes a problem with the freezing moisture testing the very fabric of your home, slowly decaying the bricks and mortar as well as your roofline and paving.

Rainwater that is allowed to seep its way into your home will likely result in damp, mould and decay all of which are detrimental to your property and can even cause health problems.

Damaged House