Why Does it Rain So Much in the Lake District?
The Lake District (England’s largest National Park) is officially the wettest place in England. Here you can be soaked to the skin within minutes of a downpour. So be sure to bring your natural rubber wellies and windproof umbrella, when visiting!
So why is this area of northwest England rainier than everywhere else? It’s all to do with the nearby Atlantic Ocean, which carries large amounts of moisture from the wind. Mountains (all of England’s highest ones are here) force air to rise. This causes ‘orographic lift. As air rises and cools, it can’t hold moisture, so water vapour then condensed into rain clouds – and lots of them!
Many areas of southern England instead have ‘showers’ which usually fall from individual clouds, with dry sunny intervals in between. In Sussex say, you could have a downpour and the pavement will be dry within an hour.
But in Cumbria, that doesn’t happen. The ground stays wet for ages, which is why farmers have a constant battle using sprays to prevent foot rot on sheep, as the grass never dries out in winter.
The Met Office will always describe this kind of heavy rain in forecasts as ‘prolonged’ or ‘persistent’ rain.
