Buxton had third wettest year in 2023 since records began in 1860

Buxton had the second wettest 2023 since records began in 1860.

Data from Michael Hilton who runs buxtonweather.co.uk shows 2023 was a washout but so was December claiming the title of the second wettest December since 1860 with 11.54 inches of rain in just one month.

Michael Hilton said: “We don't want to wish our lives away, but many are glad to see the back of December 2023 - with 293mm, 11.54 inches, of rainfall, the wettest December in the 20 plus years I have kept my own records.”

The Climatological Station on The Slopes, is an official Met Office Weather Station.

Michael said: “In the rainfall records for The Met Office Buxton Slopes Weather station, which dates back to 1860, it was the second wettest December on record, in those 160 years - only December 1965 was wetter - in that soggy month, nearly 60 years ago, Buxton had 323.8mm of rain!

“Overall 2023 was a very wet year with 1788mm, 70.4 inches, of rain for the full year - against an average year of about 1250 mm, 46 inches.

“Again, looking at the Buxton Slopes records, 2023 was the third wettest year since 1860 - the wettest was 2000 when Buxton had 1849mm of rain.”

The Met Office say 2023 for England not Buxton or globally, was the second warmest year since records began way back in 1659 and 2022 remains the hottest by just 0.006C.

Globally 2023 was the hottest year on record as the world approaches the 1.5°C threshold.

The 1.5°C is expected to be reached in 2024 partly due to El nino.

The Met Office explained: “El Niño and La Niña are terms which describe the biggest fluctuation in the Earth's climate system and can have consequences across the globe.

“The name 'El Niño' is widely used to describe the warming of sea surface temperature that occurs every few years.

An El Niño is declared when sea temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific rise 0.5 °C above the long-term average.

'La Niña' is the term adopted for the opposite side of the fluctuation, which sees episodes of cooler than average sea surface temperature in the equatorial Pacific.”