Heavy rainstorms in the last three months have made 2023 one of Norfolk's wettest years on record - with more than a metre of rainfall recorded in some areas.

Figures from the Norfolk Rainfall Association show the county average of 863.5mm for 2023 was around 125pc of the long-term average - putting it on a par with the wet years of 2012 and 2007.

This was driven by a deluge of rainfall in the last three months of the year, when the region was bombarded by successive storms Babet and Ciaran - followed by Storm Henk in early January - causing flooding chaos across the county. 

Terry Mayes, of the Norfolk Rainfall Association said: "There were some prolonged dry spells in the first six months. However, rains became more frequent from July onwards, culminating in a very wet final three months of the year.

"In some of the wettest years there will be some sites across Norfolk which reach or exceed 900mm.

"However, 1,000mm is very uncommon with only a handful of sites achieving that amount in 2012, 2007, and 2004 in the past 100 years. The year 2023 can now be added to those ranks."

According to Mr Mayes' records, the highest annual totals of the year were recorded at Stalham (1,047.4mm), Wymondham (1,033.6mm), Hempstead-by-Holt (1,008.9mm), Houghton St Giles (986.5mm), Ashby St Mary (982.0mm), Tacolneston (981.5mm) and Gorleston (968.8mm).

The lowest annual totals were at Blakeney (648.6mm), Langham (674.8mm), Kirby Bedon (731.3mm), Hunstanton (744.0mm), Wreningham (759.5mm), Bressingham (763.7mm) and Diss (779.7mm).

The wettest month was October with a county average of 162.1mm, while the driest month was February with an average of just 9.3mm.

The year ended with Norfolk's wettest December since 2020, with a county rainfall average of 89.6mm during the third consecutive wet month.

Globally, 2023 was confirmed as the warmest year on record - another signal of the continued impacts of climate change. The EU's climate service said the world was an average of 1.48C warmer than pre-industrial times.