Where are the wettest places in Scotland?

IT’S fair to say Scotland is a nation known for wet weather in the same way Barbados is known for sunshine.
Scots are no strangers to rain. Picture: Robert PerryScots are no strangers to rain. Picture: Robert Perry
Scots are no strangers to rain. Picture: Robert Perry

But some areas experience considerably more rainfall than others.

Parts of eastern Scotland received twice the average amount this summer, while the region as a whole experienced 22 per cent more rain than normal.

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There are several competitors for the title of wettest place in the country, many of them remote.

Glenshiel Forest, in Ross-shire, recorded 3778 milimetres (mm) of rainfall in a year, almost 150 inches, making it the wettest place in the UK less than 200m above sea level.

The rocky ridge of Crib Goch in Snowdonia National Park claimed the wettest place in the UK, with a mammoth 4635mm of rain recorded in a single year.

The Highland estate of Dalness, in scenic Glen Etive, is drenched by an average of 3300mm each year. Dry days here are far outnumbered by rainy ones.

Meanwhile, it’s always advisable to take an umbrella when visiting Salsburgh in North Lanarkshire. The village was soaked by more rain in July than since records began - more than 192mm.

In comparison, the national record for July was in 1940 when 186 milimetres of rain fell. This year that figure was 128 - still considerably higher than the 100 average.

In 2011, Salsburgh recorded 60mm in 36 hours during August - almost the average rainfall for the entire month.

Measuring the wettest place in Scotland is a contentious issue, even if it is a record that no one wants their home town to win.

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A spokesman for the Met Office said: “First of all, which measure should you use? There are rain days, which denote every day which sees more than 1mm of rain.

“Then there is total rainfall, which denotes the total accumulated rainfall over a period of time.

“Which gives the better picture of a rainy city? There’s certainly room for debate.

“Secondly, we have thousands of weather observation sites spread across the UK providing data on temperature, rainfall and other factors.

“Towns and cities are generally quite large features on a map and one area could potentially have numerous weather stations.”

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