Record rainfall hits Britain in January

A total of 164.4 millimeters of rain has fallen so far this month in large parts of Britain, 35 percent above the long-term January average, said Met Office Friday. The mean temperature so far this month has been 4.9 degree Celsius, which is 1.2degree Celsius warmer that the long-term average, data showed by the country's meteorological department. "A large area of southern England from East Devon to Kent and inland across parts of the midlands has already seen twice the average rainfall for the month," said Met Office via a press release. From January 1 to 28, southeast and central southern England has received more than twice its average rainfall with 175.2 mm of rain, exceeding the previous record of 158.2 mm set in January 1988, data showed. "We have seen quite a contrast from south to north across the UK, with northern Scotland having received 83 percent of its long-term average rainfall so far this month, a sharp contrast to the 200 percent over southern England." said Met Office. The meteorological department is also warning that a band of heavy rain would sweep across southern England, as well as the whole country on Friday. The Environment Agency, which has issued numerous flood warnings, also said many coastal areas would be affected by high tides in the coming days. A predominance of west and south-west winds, which is bringing in mild air from the Atlantic, as well as the unsettled and at times stormy conditions are the main reasons attributed to the mild and wet weather of the island country.