2019 was Sheffield's wettest ever year - here are all the other weather records broken

Sheffield suffered its wettest ever year during 2019, with a slew of weather records broken as the city took a soaking.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

But last year was also one of the hottest in history, as a summer heatwave sent the mercury soaring to new extremes.

That’s according to official figures from the city’s Weston Park weather station, which are recorded and analysed by Museums Sheffield’s curator of natural science Alistair McLean.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

An astonishing 1,176.2mm of rain fell during the year, which he said was easily the highest since records began in February 1883.

A car sits in floodwater near Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield last November (pic: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)A car sits in floodwater near Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield last November (pic: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)
A car sits in floodwater near Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield last November (pic: Danny Lawson/PA Wire)

In autumn alone, 515.3mm fell, which was a record for the season.

Last September was the wettest since 1968, with 149.6mm; October was the wettest since 2002, with 140.6mm; and November was the wettest on record, with 225.1mm.

The city experienced its worst flooding since 2007 in November, though Sheffield was nowhere near as badly inundated this time as Doncaster.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

November 7 was the wettest November day on record in Sheffield and the fifth wettest ever, with 74.1mm falling in just 24 hours.

Alistair McLean, Museums Sheffield's curator of natural sciences, at the Weston Park weather stationAlistair McLean, Museums Sheffield's curator of natural sciences, at the Weston Park weather station
Alistair McLean, Museums Sheffield's curator of natural sciences, at the Weston Park weather station

Despite all the rain, the city experienced some record high temperatures too, including the hottest ever day on July 25 when it reached a sweltering 35.1C – the first time the 35C mark had been broken here.

February 26, meanwhile, was the warmest February day on record, with a high of 18C.

“It was a bit of an odd year, which was spectacularly wet – particularly during the autumn and summer – but also very warm in parts,” said Mr McLean.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The good news is that based on previous trends, Mr McLean – who is at pains to point out he’s not a meteorologist – believes we should be in for a drier 2020.

However, the mild winter we’re experiencing points – again going on past cycles – to a ‘lousy’ summer.

After a record-breaking year, Mr McLean believes the increasingly extreme weather we’re experiencing is down to the climate emergency facing our planet.

“My opinion is that it’s the result of global climate change and personally I think it’s caused by human behaviour,” he said.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.