CASE STUDY: Rainfall and Flooding In Cumbria

● Average rainfall in UK = 700 mm – 2, 500 mm annually (depends on location)
● Heaviest rainfall recorded fell on Cumbria in northern England (17th – 20th November 2009 )
Causes:
● Caused by deep Atlantic depression moving northeastwards over Scotland/northern England
○ Cumbria had already received a month’s worth of average rainfall before flooding
○ Soil was already very saturated → new rainfall couldn’t soak in
■ Flowed straight down steep slopes of Lake District into rivers for 36 hours
● By 20th November:
○ River Derwent was 10 m wider than during normal conditions
○ Water was flowing at a rate 25x higher than normal