It is raining so much currently due to persistent low pressure systems bringing unsettled weather with frequent showers and heavy downpours. This situation is common as autumn begins, with the jet stream shifting and enabling low pressure areas to move eastward, causing wet and windy weather. Additionally, climate change contributes by warming the atmosphere, which allows it to hold more moisture, leading to more intense rainfall when weather systems occur. In some areas, warm ocean waters have increased humidity levels, further increasing rainfall. This combination of meteorological patterns and climate change effects is causing the heavy and frequent rain at this time.
More specifically:
- In the UK, a broad low pressure system to the northwest is driving widespread heavy rain, with some regions warned for intense downpours that can cause flash flooding.
- The jet stream's position and strength are allowing Atlantic low-pressure systems to bring wetter conditions typical for early autumn.
- Warmer ocean waters around certain regions (e.g., the US East Coast) increase atmospheric moisture, which leads to unprecedented flooding and frequent heavy rains.
- Climate change means the atmosphere retains more water vapor, resulting in heavier rainfall than in the past.
Thus, the unusually heavy rainfall is a result of both natural seasonal atmospheric patterns and the amplifying effects of climate change on weather intensity.
