Huncoat is a small historic village some 30 miles inland between Accrington and Burnley. As a consequence of being situated on the western slopes of the Pennines below the 1,340 feet high Great Hameldon it receives quite high annual rainfall, records of which, go back to 1875.

The earliest known record of rainfall in Britain was kept by Richard Towneley (1629-1707) of Towneley Hall in Burnley, which is just 5 miles east of Huncoat. He placed a funnel on the roof connected to a tube leading down to his bedroom window and measured and recorded the rainfall between 1677 and 1703. His bedroom was in the east wing of the quadrangle which was removed early in the 18th Century so is no longer in existence.

Comprehensive records began to be kept around 1726 but it was not until 1860 that they were collected together systematically. George James Symons (1838-1900) took an interest in rainfall after the drought years of 1857-59. He took up a post with the Royal Meteorological Society and began to publish a series of annual books entitled "British Rainfall".

The first issue was really only a pamphlet giving the data from 168 “English” stations for 1860 but the enterprise quickly grew and within a quarter of a century he was publishing thick volumes containing over 2000 “British” rainfall recording stations and by the Centenary these exceeded 6000. Symons died in March 1890 aged 61 but the venture was continued by his assistant Herbert Sowerby Wallis and subsequently Hugh Robert Mill and Carle S. Salter until after the First World War it was absorbed into the Meteorological Office Air Ministry.

In the 1860 table the nearest station to Huncoat was Stonyhurst which returned 50.60 inches in that year. Huncoat first appeared in the "British Rainfall" books in 1875 with readings taken at Burnley Road Reservoirs. Unfortunately, that station disappeared in 1982 but from 1961 readings had also been taken at the nearby Mitchell's House Reservoir at the head of Warmden Clough and those continue to this day. Rainfall was also recorded in Oak Hill Park, Accrington from 1939 until 1961, at Burnley Road Cemetery, Accrington from 1985 until 1997, at Coppy Clough Sewage works Church from 1947 to 1973 and at Jackhouse Reservoir Oswaldtwistle from 1870 to 1881 and 1966 to 1982.

Sadly, the Meteorological Office discontinued the publication of Rainfall Books after 1991 on economic grounds but the local water authorities still continue to measure and report rainfall amounts to the Environment Agency and Meteorological Office and the data eventually gets into their National Library and Archive at Exeter. In April 2010 the Royal Meteorological Society organised a meeting in London to mark the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the British Rainfall Organisation. To see my report of that event click here.

The modern rainfall recording network is governed by the Met Office who inspect the sites once every three years to make sure each site conforms to the required standards and is producing good data. The Environment Agency maintains a network of tipping bucket rain gauges to supply information of relevance to flood defences and bathing water quality.

The rim diameter of a standard rain gauge is 12.7cm (5 inches) and the height of the mouth should be 30cm above ground level but anything between 15 and 50cm would result in very little error. The standard rain gauge is called a “Snowdon” pattern because it became approved after Captain Mathew used it for an extensive series of observations on the lower slopes of Snowdon in 1865. In fact the design was first employed by Col. M.F. Ward at Calne in 1862 having been made by a local chemist named Rowdon.

The first “tipping bucket” rain gauge was made in 1662 by Sir Christopher Wren!

In the early 1970's John, David, Martin and Roy began measuring rainfall in Accrington and from 1992 Roy has done so at Sutton Crescent in Huncoat. In 2003 Jim joined the club taking readings in Oswaldtwistle and in 2005 David’s station moved to Oswaldtwistle. Mitchell's House Reservoir is 980 feet above sea level just south west of Great Hameldon and less than 2 miles away from Huncoat village. The "Huncoat Data" therefore all comes from within a small radius.

Most of the readings taken over the years at all the above sites compare quite well with each other so we can be pretty sure that we have an accurate picture of local rainfall patterns and extremes. Moreover, rainfall was recorded at Stonyhurst College (7 miles to the NW) for 100 years and that data also collaborates the Huncoat figures.

The 135 year average for Huncoat is nearly 50 inches (1,270 millimetres) per annum. Since 1875 there is no evidence that this has increased so it does not indicate that our climate is getting any wetter. The wettest ten year average was 53.39 inches (1,356 millimetres) between 1922 and 1931. The driest ten year average was 40.42 inches (1,027 millimetres) between 1892 and 1901. Huncoat’s wettest years have been 1981 with 67.05 inches (1,703 millimetres) at Mitchell's House Reservoir and 2000 with 67.54 inches (1,716 millimetres) at Sutton Crescent. Huncoat’s driest years have been 1887 with 28.62 inches (727 millimetres) at Burnley Road Reservoir, 1933 with 31.37 inches (797 millimetres) at Burnley Road Reservoir and 1995 with 33.66 inches (855 millimetres) at Sutton Crescent.
To see a full table of historic annual rainfall totals at Huncoat click here.

The wettest place in Britain is firmly established as Borrowdale in the Cumbrian Mountains. The average annual fall at Styhead on the front of Seathwaite Fell is 172.00 inches (4368 millimetres). The highest annual total ever was at Sprinkling Tarn with 257.00 inches (6,528 millimetres) in 1954 which is just a mile from Styhead.

By comparison Crib Goch mountain in Snowdonia, Wales also approaches 172 inches (4,368 millimetres) annual average but recording ceased in 2003 and the current rain gauge at Capel Curig only gets 104.41 inches (2,652 millimetres) annual average. The highest annual total in Wales was 237.00 inches (6,020 millimetres) in 1908 at Llyn Lydaw, Snowdonia.

Surprisingly, despite possible impressions to the contrary Scotland is not as wet as Cumbria or Snowdonia. The highest annual average in Scotland is 150.95 inches (3,834 millimetres) at Beinn Ime mountain, Loch Sloy near Loch Lomond. The highest annual totals in Scotland have been 240.00 inches (6,096 millimetres) at Ben Nevis Observatory in 1898 and 213.00 inches (5,410 millimetres) at Loch Quoich Knoydart in 1938.

The wettest place in Northern Ireland seems to be Slieve Bearnagh in the Mountains of Mourne with an annual average of only 74.20 inches (1884.7 millimetres) and in Southern Ireland it’s the Ballaghbeena Gap in Macgillycuddys Reeks mountains, County Kerry with an annual average of around 100.00 inches (2,540 millimetres).

The legend of the Styhead site in Borrowdale began in 1845 when Dr. J. Fletcher Miller of Whitehaven established the first rain gauge at nearby Seathwaite in the garden of Mr. John Dixon. Dr. Miller also placed rain gauges higher in the mountains because he suspected higher falls occurred there. This proved to be the case at the notorious location known as “The Stye,” a shelf on Black Waugh Crag which seemed to suffer converging rain bearing clouds coming over Styhead Pass. It may not be unrelated that the highest mountain in England, Scafell Pike is a bare two miles away. Sadly, most of the mountain gauges except The Stye were abandoned in 1853 frequently proving inaccessible due to ice and snow and Miller died in 1856.

However, Mr Dixon continued to record at the Seathwaite site and measurements of rainfall there have continued unbroken to the present day. The 165 year average is 129.75 inches (3,295.7 millimetres). Until 1857 Mr. Dixon also managed to record the readings from The Stye but then there was a gap until Mr. Isaac Fletcher a relative of Dr. Miller tried to re-establish the mountain network in 1864 but after 1869 they were again neglected. They were revived in 1877 by a Mr. Maitland of Hyde Park with the assistance of Mr. Wilson of Wasdale and since then have continued with short interruptions until the present day. In 1929 after one of these short interruptions through lack of an observer the name was changed to Stye Head which is rather confusing with the more popularly known Sty Head pass and tarn being only a mile to the SW. Nevertheless, this is still the same location as established by Dr. Miller in 1845. It is at a height of 1,077 feet (328 metres) about 200 yards off the footpath to Styhead Tarn. There have been at least four gauge sites here all within a range of 200 yards, see the sepia coloured map click here.

The record breaking site of Sprinkling Tarn was located at a height of 1990 feet (607 metres) but closed in 1987. There have been higher rain gauges in the Cumbrian mountains but they did not record greater falls. Ullscarf just to the SW of Thirlmere was at a height of 2100 feet (640 metres) until it closed in 2005 but the annual average there was only 119 inches (3,022 millimetres). Birkside on Dollywagon Pike near Helvellyn must be the highest rain gauge still in regular use. It is at 2148 feet (655 metres) and has an annual average of 119.5 inches (3,035 millimetres).

Heavy rain and consequent flooding can occur virtually anywhere particularly if culverts or river courses have become blocked by fallen trees etc or the natural flood plain has gone. The most serious flood events can follow intense localised thunderstorms or prolonged cyclonic rainfall over high ground draining into converging valleys. For instance the Cockermouth and Workington disaster in November 2009 followed 12.40 inches (314.4 millimetres) in 24 hours at Seathwaite. The small coastal town of Lynmouth became known throughout the world for the disaster that struck on 15th August 1952. After 9.00 inches (229 millimetres) fell upon the Chains; the western part of Exmoor, the East and West Lyn Rivers rose suddenly and swept large boulders and rocks through the village, destroying houses, roads and bridges. Carlisle was submerged on 8th January 2005 because of 8.85 inches (225 millimetres) in 72 hours over the Shap Mountains and 4.53 inches (115 millimetres) in 24 hours at Keswick. Before the Boscastle flood on 17th August 2004, 7.89 inches (200 millimetres) fell in 24 hours on the Cornish uplands.

The wettest days ever recorded in England were –
12.40 inches (314 millimetres) at Seathwaite in Cumbria on 19th November 2009.
11.00 inches (279 millimetres) at Martinstown in Dorset on 18th July 1955.
9.56 inches (243 millimetres) at Bruton, Somerset on 28th June 1917.
9.50 inches (241 millimetres) at Upwey, Dorset on 18th July 1955.

The wettest days ever recorded in the Huncoat area were -
4.10 inches (104mm) at Jackhouse Reservoir on 20th September 1968.
3.31 inches (84mm) at Burnley Road Reservoir on 20th September 1968.
3.07 inches (78mm) at Mitchell's House Reservoir on 18th July 1964,
(which caused disastrous floods throughout Hyndburn during the local holidays).
2.59 inches (66mm) at Huncoat on 1st October 1999.

Droughts

A shortage of rainfall leading to low reservoir levels is usually termed a drought. However, technically there are very precise definitions. An “Absolute Drought” is when there is a period of 15 consecutive days without measurable rainfall (less than 0.01 inches or 0.25 millimetres per day) although if there are 29 consecutive days where the average daily rainfall does not exceed 0.01 inches then that is a “Partial Drought.” If there are 15 consecutive days on each of which there is less than 0.04 inches or 1.0 millimetres then that is defined as a “Dry Spell.”

The longest local drought in living memory was an Absolute Drought of 33 days in February and March 1953. July and August of the same year also had a Dry spell of 17 days.
More recent droughts have been-
March and April 1974 – Dry spells of 22 and 19 days broken by 1 wet day
August 1976 - Absolute of 20 days
May and June 1977 - Absolute of 20 days
April and May 1995 - Absolute of 18 days
September 1996 – Dry spell of 16 days
May and June 1997 – Absolute of 15 days
March 2003 – Dry spell of 19 days
April 2003 - Absolute of 18 days
April 2007 – Dry spell of 21 days
April 2010 – Absolute of 17 days

9th Century
A gradual warming by 1 degree with a slight increase in rainfall is presumed.

10th Century
The mean temperature rose by about 2 degrees with a continued slight increase in rainfall.

11th Century
The mean temperature rose by 3 degrees, annual rainfall accelerated but summer rainfall began to fall.

12th Century
The mean temperature rose by a further 3 degrees bringing heavy annual rainfall but very low summer rainfall. The end of the 12th Century seems to have been the warmest period in history when annual rainfall began to decline.

13th Century
The mean temperature began to wane. Annual rainfall fell at first but then crept up again by 1280. The 30 years leading up to 1280 had the driest summers in history. The end of the century saw a marked downturn in annual rainfall and an increase in summer rainfall. By 1300 mean temperature had gone down by 3 degrees.

14th Century
Mean temperature continued a steady decline reaching 4 degrees lower by 1400. Annual rainfall fell steadily but the summer proportion shot up and down dramatically peaking around 1380.

15th Century
Mean temperature continued to fall by another 3 degrees reaching the lowest for 700 years around 1480. Annual rainfall levelled out but summer rainfall fluctuated wildly bottoming at 89% around 1430 and peaking at 106% around 1480.

16th Century
Mean temperature rose by 3 degrees up to 1530 with an associated increase in annual rainfall and decrease in summer rainfall. The mean temperature then fell back by 5 degrees up to 1580 before levelling out. Annual rainfall fell to a new low in 1580 and the summer proportion shot up higher than ever.

17th Century
Mean temperature and annual rainfall were at first level but then fell by 2 degrees up to 1675. The period 1650 to 1675 was the coldest and driest in history. Summer rainfall went down and up and then down again! In the winter of 1683/84 the Thames froze over for 10 weeks.

18th Century
Mean temperature rose by around 5 degrees and annual rainfall increased between 1680 and 1720 then both declined gradually up to 1780. The end of the century saw the wettest summers in history. During the winter of 1739/40 the Thames froze in three days. In 1783 a small flood basalt eruption in Iceland altered the climate of the Northern hemisphere for several decades. The American ambassador in Paris (Benjamin Franklin) reported a year without a summer when no grapes or wheat ripened, snow fell during August and the following winter was the worst in living memory.

19th Century
Mean temperature was on the rise again as was annual rainfall. Summer rainfall declined quickly at first then levelled out from 1825.

20th Century
A gradual warming and slight increase in rainfall continued.