Here the daily rainfall 0900-0900 UTC yesterday was 26.1 mm by 5 in
checkgauge (standard MetO registered site), all of which fell in just
under 3 hours 1000-1300 UTC.

The highest hourly fall coincided almost exactly with the clock hour
1100-1200 UTC, 17.9 mm. This is the highest hourly fall here for
almost 5 years (since 21.6 mm on 9 August 2002, and the highest in May
for 7 years) and is a tad more than the 'patchy light rain and drizzle
clearing from the west' that I was expecting from the morning's
forecast!

This was also the wettest May day here for 22 years (since 30 May
1985, which had 30.7 mm).

The force of the sudden rainfall caused drain covers to lift in the
village. Local totals varied from 24.4 mm Bracknell Tawfield, 12.9 mm
Wokingham, 9.8 mm Sandhurst, 3.9 mm south Reading (Southcote) - the
latter just 8 km NNE. Any more reliable totals from the Newbury-
Reading-Basingstoke-Wokingham area?

Stephen
Stratfield Mortimer - 10 km SW Reading