City is drenched by wettest August since records began

Published on Saturday 23 August 2008 10:54

IT'S official – this is the rainiest August on record.

Figures released by the Met Office have proved that the recent dreadful weather which has resulted in floods and chaos across the Lothians has seen this month smash the previous worst of six years ago.

The rainfall count at Gogarbank is 195mm so far, easily beating the August 2002 count of 128.2mm.

A spokesman for the Met Office said that while Edinburgh, the Lothians and much of the central belt have experienced abnormal rainfall for the summer month, Lerwick on the Shetland Isles had experienced half as much rain as usual for August. Edinburgh on the other hand had 276 per cent of the expected rainfall.

"Certainly it has been an exceptionally wet month," he said.

"At the moment the figures show up until August 22, and there is even more expected.

"The picture is very different in other places. But for the time of year it has been very wet, much more than expected."

He added that, with several days still to go and a bleak weather forecast, the record fall was likely to increase further.

"There's more rain expected today and at the start of next week there are suggestions there could be yet more. Hopefully things will settle down after that though."

Other MET office gauging points across Scotland also experienced record rainfall.

At Strathallan Airfield in Perth 180.6mm have fallen so far in August, eclipsing the 111.2mm of 1992. Charterhall in the Borders noted a rainfall of 174.8mm, surpassing the 2004 level of 127.2mm.

And the largest recording was at the Salburgh Midway, roughly halfway between Edinburgh and Glasgow where 229.2mm fell this month, beating the 1992 previous record of 189.1mm.

The deluge experienced in the last few weeks has brought chaos across the city.

The problem became so intense NHS Lothian issued guidelines to all doctors on water-borne diseases.

Meadows bear the scars

AMONG the victims of this month's downpours are the Meadows, where community groups say thousands of pounds worth of damage has been caused.

This summer has seen tents and stalls set up by Taste of Edinburgh, The Moonwalk, Urban Circus and the Evans Funfair.

Every year the council asks for a bond of between 2000 and 7000 to cover damages, and the amount of money retained from these bonds has been gradually increasing year-on-year.

While the council has yet to assess the damage caused by this year's circus, they have already retained 1060 this year from the Moonwalk.

Southside Community Councillor Hilary McDowall said: "The area gets seeded in the spring then it's almost immediately covered up again, and stays covered for nearly the entire summer.

"The land is built on an old loch, and with the increasingly poor weather much of the Meadows has been turned into a swamp.

"I think its time the council took a look at the number of events it's putting on."

A council spokesman said any damage caused in the Meadows by events is repaired and paid for through the bond.