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Property damage | £1.5bn |
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The 2015–16 Great Britain and Ireland floods were a series of heavy rainfall events which led to flooding during the winter of late 2015 and early 2016.
Western Europe saw a series of extratropical cyclones forming in a westerly flow over the Atlantic, directing warm and moist air to the region. A situation developed in a similar manner to that seen during the Autumn 2000 western Europe floods, which saw catchments and soils becoming increasingly saturated. During November high rainfalls associated with the passage of Storm Abigail and the remains of Ex-hurricane Kate brought increasingly high river flows. Many parts of north-west Britain saw almost double the average monthly rainfall for November fall, with the month becoming the second-wettest to affect north-west England and North Wales (behind November 2009) since records began in 1910.
Storm Desmond broke the United Kingdom's 24-hour rainfall record, with 341.4 mm of rain falling at Honister Pass, Cumbria, on 5 December. The previous record was set in 2009, also in Cumbria, when 316.4 mm of rain fell in Seathwaite. The highest standard 0900 GMT – 0900 GMT rain day record, however, remains 279 mm at Martinstown, Dorset set on 18 July 1955. Much of the historical data is recorded in this way. The 48‑hour rainfall record was also beaten, with Thirlmere reporting 405 mm of rain falling up to 0800 GMT on 6 December 2015, compared to the previous record of 395.6 mm on 18–19 November 2009 at Seathwaite. Desmond created an atmospheric river in its wake, bringing in moist air from the Caribbean to the British Isles. As a result, rainfall from Desmond was unusually heavy, with the Norwegian Meteorological Institute designating Desmond an extreme weather event as a result of the amount of rain that fell.
The heavy rainfall caused a waterfall to appear at Malham Cove for a short period of time; this had not previously happened in living memory.