It may not be Twelfth Night, but the rain really has rained every day this year…except three. As I write, we’re 58 days into 2026 and 55 have been somewhere between dismal and sodden.
The village’s dog walkers don’t have a choice about heading out in inclement weather. Their dogs need to get out, so out they go. I am full of admiration for them.
But there’s no doubt that I’ve walked a lot less this year.
The weather has revealed that I need new boots. Neither my Wellies, knee-length riding boots, walking shoes or walking boots are watertight. One fine day, if you’ll forgive the pun, I’ll buy some new ones. But currently, all my cash is going into restoring the little cottage, so there is no money left for boots.
The village is blessed with storm drains: channels that run alongside the roads, where the water can gather. They’re working overtime.
The village where I grew up had them too, as well as teams of road maintenance workers whose job (and pride) it was to maintain the roads and keep the storm drains in good condition. Can you imagine such a world?
For a good number of years, I lived in a cathedral city which didn’t have this basic element of infrastructure, and so, when it absolutely poured streets would flood. It began with side streets, with names that hinted at the situation, such as Water Lane. Then it spread to the High Street, and quickly shops would see water flooding in.
Oh, for storm drains everywhere.
This is, apparently, the wettest winter in 120 years, and, according to the Met Office ‘such winters are becoming less unusual and the potential for intense and persistent rainfall is growing’.
A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture: approximately 7 per cent more per degree Celsius of warming.
According to the Royal Meteorological Society, the last decade has seen a 0.9 per cent temperature rise in the UK, so let’s call that 7 per cent more rain. As the climate isn’t about to cool, we’re only likely to see more of this. I’d better buy new boots.