Outlook is gloomy as rain sweeps in

7:17pm Friday 5th September 2008

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Forecasters last night predicted the stormy weather would continue into tomorrow - although next week would see patches of sunshine.

Severe weather warnings were in place for much of today as heavy rain and gusts battered the county.

It came as it was confirmed that Oxfordshire had suffered its gloomiest August for sun since records began.

The worst of the storm hit Cornwall, Devon, Wales and Gloucester, although by 3pm in Oxfordshire more than three times the average daily rainfall for September had fallen. At RAF Brize Norton, 6.8mm fell between 1am and 3pm, while across the county border, Little Rissington recorded 15mm. Oxfordshire's average rainfall for September is 61mm.

Met Office spokesman Helen Chivers said the weekend forecast was for bright spells, interspersed with heavy and prolonged showers, clearing up on Monday but with unsettled weather on Tuesday.

She said: "There are some heavy showers across the Channel at the moment which are heading northwards. They will bring 10-20mm in places."

Last month, there was just 113.5 hours of sunshine, or 3hrs 40min a day, clocked in Oxfordshire - the least sunshine on record.

Mrs Chivers added: "It was the cloudiest August since records began in 1929 - the previous lowest was 113.8 hours in 1954.

"We have had two fairly wet summers one after another. Last year was the second wettest on record and this year is provisionally the fifth."

August's average hours of sunshine is 178.2, while the highest on record was in 1995 - 266.6, or 8hrs 36min a day.

Tonight, Floodwatches on three tributaries of the River Thames - the Evenlode, Ray and Windrush - remained in place, with flooding of low-lying land and roads expected.

Emma Hoyle, Environment Agency spokesman for Oxfordshire, said: "I think water levels will remain high over the coming days, but we are not envisaging flooding to property."

An Oxfordshire County Council spokesman added: "Local authorities across the county are in close communication to ensure a co-ordinated approach should rainfall worsen over the next few days. Predicted local rainfall will not result in any widespread flooding."