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Heavy rainfall - east UK


20/21 October 2001

Synoptic situation

A slow moving front over the east of the UK on Sunday 21 October 2001 as shown on the synoptic chart, was responsible for bringing heavy rain to the eastern side of the UK.

Rainfall map

The contoured map below, consists of the data which was available from the real time network on the 22 October 2001.

map

Rainfall amounts

The following rainfall information is based on data available from our real time network on 22 October 2001. Looking back at our available records for our 3 sites in Cambridge, this is the highest ever total of rainfall reported in a single 24 hour period since records began back in 1900.

Rainfall Station
Duration of rainfall
Rainfall Amount (mm)
Return Period (years)
Cambridge, Guildhall
18 hours - 02Z (21st) to 20Z (21st)
90.4
140
Herne Bay, Kent
4 hours - 03Z (21st) to 07Z (21st)
39.8
16
Andrewsfield, Essex
18 hours - 02Z (21st) to 20Z (21st)
53.0
14
Monks Wood, Cambridgeshire
16 hours - 04Z (21st) to 20Z (21st)
52.8
10

Radar imagery

A 3 hourly loop of the hourly radar composites for the period from 0000Z on the 21 October 2001 to 0000Z on the 22 October 2001.

map

Please note: The empirical relationship between radar reflectivity and rainfall rate is fixed whereas in reality this is highly dependent on precipitation type and is very different for rain and hail.