AS Northern Ireland faces another yellow weather warning for rain, Met Office statistics have shown a steady increase for rainfall in recent years.
Last summer, Northern Ireland had the wettest July ever (with records dating back to 1836) with 185.4mm of recorded rainfall.
Extreme rainfall of 191.8mm in October last year also caused devastation in areas like Newry and Downpatrick, with shopping districts submerged in flood water.
The total rainfall for 2023, 1,399 mm, was also the highest in 21 years when 1,410mm was recorded in 2002.
This was only second to the all-time record of 1,416mm recorded in 1872.
In the eight-month period from the downpours of July 2023 up to February this year, 910.3mm was recorded.
This was the highest in four years, since 1,009mm was recorded for the same period from July 2020 to February 2021.
It has also been reported that England has experienced its wettest 18 months since records began in 1836, creating serious problems for farmers trying to plant crops in waterlogged fields.
Speaking to the Financial Times, climate scientist Ed Hawkins from the University of Reading said there had been a “large increase in the amount of rain that falls on the island, particularly in the wintertime, but also in the autumn and spring”.
“This is a consequence of our warming world,” he said.
“As the world continues to warm in the future we would expect to see more rain falling on these islands.”
The Met Office also reported that some areas of the UK may have experienced their wettest ever February on record, with the previous record of 213.7mm set in 2020.
“Some locations may approach or exceed record-breaking levels but for the UK as a whole it is unlikely to see the rainfall we saw in 2020,” said Ellie Glaisyer, a Met Office meteorologist.
“In the UK we have seen 131% of the February rainfall we would usually expect.”