February wettest month on record

THIS month is heading to be one of the wettest on record, with yet more rain predicted over the next few days for Suffolk.

So far this month twice the average rainfall has fallen on Suffolk which follows on from a wetter than average January.

And weather forecasters at the Government's Met Office are predicting there will be more rain for the rest of the week.

Evening Star weatherman Ken Blowers said that by the start of this week 3.2ins of rain had fallen in February when the average is 1.6ins. More heavy rain is promised tomorrow, the last day of the month, so it could easily break the modern times record of 3.7ins set in 2001.

Mr Blowers said; “With the weather forecast as it is, there's every chance of beating the 2001 record.”

However the all time record, 4.7ins in 1866, seems unlikely to be at risk.

The weekend rain caused problems with standing water on some roads but there was little wide-scale flooding at the weekend.

And the wet start to the year should delight the water companies as underground water courses which provide much of the region's supplies should be thoroughly filled up by the time the spring and summer returns.

A spokesman for Anglian Water said its Alton Water reservoir was now completely full - and the underground aquifers were becoming well saturated.

He said: “It is much more difficult to make sure the amount of water in the aquifers, and it does take quite a long time for all the rain to soak through to them.

“But we know they are being replenished well. So far as we are concerned the rain is very welcome and it is the right kind of rain after a couple of very dry winters.

“We've managed to operate since 1991 without any water restrictions and with all the rain we have had this winter we are pretty confident there is not danger of any restrictions in this part of the world for the next 12 months.”