More rain on the way, says weather expert

Weather expert Philip Eden said as of midday on Wednesday there had been 76mm (three inches) of rain so far this month, of which 55mm (2.17 inches) had fallen in the last ten days.

By the end of the month we are likely to have had around 90-100mm, which is twice the normal rainfall for April.

Mr Eden said: “The unsettled weather will continue for at least the next week, with further heavy falls of rain likely.

“This can only be a good thing in terms of the drought – with a much lower need to water our gardens, while consumption by municipal authorities and industry is also reduced during periods of wet weather. There is also much less evaporation during these periods, with consequently more water going to replenish reservoirs and the water-bearing rocks (aquifers) beneath our feet.

“However, no-one can yet tell what the summer will be like (in spite of some claiming to be able to predict what will happen), so it is probably wise to retain hosepipe bans until August or September, even if we have cool and changeable summer.

“The fact is that evaporation exceeds rainfall in all but our most disastrous summers.”

Despite seeming very wet indeed, this month is nowhere near the rainfall record for April, as there was 150mm in April 2000 and 145mm in April 1998.

The River Lea in Luton has been badly affected by this year’s drought, all but drying up in recent weeks.

It remains to be seen whether this week’s rain will get the river flowing again.