Guernsey experienced 33.3mm of rainfall yesterday – which came close to the all-time wettest January day on record but was way off the island’s record for the most rainfall in one day.
The heavy downpours yesterday were above average with nearly 15 times more rainfall than is usually seen on a January day.
This means Janaury’s rainfall is way above average compared to historical records with 148.1mm of rainfall so far this year – compared to the average on record of 88.7mm.
We almost experienced precisely 0 hours of sunshine yesterday – compared to the monthly average of 2.1.
The most rain ever recorded on one day in Guernsey fell in July 2004 when 62.5mm was recorded.
Yesterday’s rain wasn’t the most in recent years though as last August there was 36mm of rainfall on Friday 23.
The wettest January day on record was in 2001 with 35.8mm recorded.
Guernsey Water had warned people to stay out of flooded areas yesterday as there was a risk that foul waste water had been brought to the surface by the heavy rainfall overwhelming the drain network.
Manhole covers had been lifted out of their places, and while they were reset yesterday work is ongoing today to clear up after the heavy rainfall.
“Owing to the extremely high level of rainfall yesterday, we have issued the same number of emergency collections in the last hour that we would usually issue in a single day,” said Guernsey Water.
The utility has also encouraged cesspit customers to sign up to the ‘mycesspit’ portal to help in situations like this.
“You can sign up for free, and it will show you when your next collection is, and email you when we’ve done it.
“If your pit has filled quicker, we would recommend calling a drainage company so they can check it for leaks.”