January weather was wettest on record in some parts of UK

If you feel like it's been a particularly wet start to the year, then you'd be right.

Figures from the Met Office - the UK's national weather service - show that parts of the country experienced very high amounts of rainfall last month.

Northern Ireland had the wettest January in nearly 150 years with an "exceptional" amount of rain.

Experts say that the start of 2026 also brought an average amount of sunshine and a slightly cooler than usual overall temperature.

Northern Ireland had the wettest January since 1877, with an unusually high amount of rain.

195.6mm fell across the month - making it the second wettest year since official records began nearly 200 years ago.

Other areas which also experienced a lot of wet conditions included south-west and southern England.

There was 74% more rainfall than is typical for the month - enough to rank it the sixth wettest on record for the area.

At a county level, Cornwall in south-west England and County Down in Northern Ireland both experienced their wettest January on record.

Last month saw a number of low-pressure weather systems move across the UK from the Atlantic, with many outbreaks of wet and windy conditions.

Three named storms - Goretti, Ingrid and Chandra - all brought downpours to many parts of the country, leading to flooding and widespread travel disruption.

Dr Amy Doherty, from the Met Office, explained: "January has been exceptionally wet because we've seen a very persistent Atlantic weather pattern.

"With little opportunity for drier conditions in between, the ground has become saturated, so even moderate rainfall has had a greater impact," she added.