Paul Crabtree wrote:
Local chap from the Environment Agency reported on radio Cumbria this
morning that 180mm of rain had fallen at Honister Pass in the central
lakes area of Cumbria,

Honister Pass is an interesting site. It is (or was) in a quarry. It
records incredible amounts of rain in orographic conditions, often
15-20 mm in an hour for hours on end, while the valley sites have 1-2
mm/hr. The readings look high only because there are so few daily
gauges in the wettest parts of the country, most are monthly. It's only
3 km from the gauge on Styhead, and at a greater altitude, and its
annual average rainfall is probably very similar to Styhead, just short
of 4000 mm.

I spent some time in the rainfall branch working on heavy falls of rain
when I worked in the Met Office, and it was all I could do to prevent
the automatic QC programmes deleting the site's daily record month
after month simply because it didn't 'fit'. I'm pleased to hear the
gauge is still functioning!

Stephen