Weather station records rainfall every day in 2026

North Wyke in Devon has so far endured rainfall every day of 2026, amid stubbornly wet conditions gripping the South West.

The small Met Office weather station at the rural site near Okehampton has become a symbol of the UK's sodden winter.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said Devon's rainfall for the winter was more than 30% above average so far.

The sheer number of days with rainfall at North Wyke was "pretty exceptional", he said.

North Wyke research farm manager Bruce Griffith said the site had recorded about 275mm (10.8ins) of rain since the beginning of January.

"We would expect about 150mm (6ins) up to this point of the year, so we have nearly had twice the rainfall we would expect," he said.

North Wyke is part of a long‑running research project that measures nutrient run-off and soil changes, so the weather has generated huge amounts of data.

Griffith said: "This is perhaps indicative of how winters might go in the future, wetter winters and potentially drier summers."

But the rain has also created concerns about silage stocks, straw supplies and drilling crops for spring.

He said he feels for farmers across the region who are lambing outside or planning to turn livestock out in late winter.

Heavy soils and sodden ground will delay that turn‑out and push up costs. He said late turnout and the need to protect damaged fields will create a chain reaction that lasts well into March and April.

Burkill said in a normal winter "low‑pressure systems rattle across the country from west to east" and move through at speed.

This winter, a large area of high pressure has been sitting over Scandinavia, blocking the usual flow and causing weather systems to slow down and stall over the UK.

Burkill said this meant rain‑bearing systems "have just stagnated", leaving places like the south‑west and Northern Ireland repeatedly hammered by waves of moisture drifting in from the Atlantic and the Celtic Sea.

He said the blocking high is weakening, so weather systems should begin to move more freely, but he warned it will "still be pretty cloudy, pretty wet and pretty unsettled through the rest of this week and into next week".

There is a small glimmer of brightness ahead, he said, adding that "Valentine's Day, this coming Saturday, could bring something a bit brighter".

Many places should stay largely dry with some sunshine before more rain returns on Sunday, he said.

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