After a weekend of constant rain and flooding, Oxford has smashed the record books for having the wettest October day ever.
Oxford University researchers have recorded the wettest October day since daily rainfall records began at the Radcliffe Meteorological Station in January 1827.
After only three days of the month, Saturday October 3 saw a cruel awakening to autumn with 60.0 mm of rainfall observed in the rain gauge.
Read also: 10 areas flooded this morning after Storm Alex
With the help of Storm Alex, Saturday was the sixth wettest day of 70,000 days in the records, and the rainiest day in Oxford for more than 47 years.
David Crowhurst, current doctoral researcher and Radcliffe Meteorological Observer, who took the rainfall measurement at Green Templeton College, said: "This astonishing rainfall amount was associated with the exceptionally intense Storm Alex low pressure system. The cumulative 72-hour rainfall total was 104.8 mm, which was also a new record for the Station."
Read also: Alcoholic mother stole wallet in Oxford to buy vodka
The Radcliffe Meteorological Station, managed by the School of Geography and the Environment at the university, holds the longest series of temperature and rainfall records for one site in Britain.
Daily records extend back to December 1813 for air temperature, January 1827 for rainfall, and February 1880 for sunshine hours.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here