Dr Ian Ashpole measuring January rainfall at the Radcliffe Meteorological Station (Image: Ian Curtis)
Weather observers at the University of Oxford have confirmed that January 2014 was the wettest since their records began in the 1760s. The University's Radcliffe Meteorological Station recorded total monthly rainfall for January as 146.9mm. This overtakes the previous high of 138.7mm recorded in January 1852. This January's total rainfall is almost three times what would be expected, based on the average of January rainfall records for the last 247 years. The average for January has been 52.5mm since the station's records began. Dr Ian Ashpole, Radcliffe Meteorological Observer based in the University's School of Geography and the Environment, said: 'This January has had a very high number of "very wet" days rather than a few "monster" ones. People who live in the Oxford area endured consistently wet weather all January this year, with only one rain-free day.
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