A homogenous daily rainfall record for the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford, from the 1820s

Abstract

A record of daily rainfall totals from 1827 at the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford, United Kingdom, is presented. Changing instrumentation over the period and homogenization of the record are described. Brief analysis of the record is provided, including reference to the monthly record from 1767. Most heavy falls of rain occur in summer. The twentieth century tendency toward wetter winters was not accompanied by any significant increase in heavy falls of rain. There were very few heavy falls in summer during the 1990s but a large number in autumn. Preliminary analysis suggests that there are more heavy downpours in summers when there is reduced storminess in the North Atlantic region. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.