Forecasters say its been the wettest summer for 100 years (From York Press)

Forecasters say its been the wettest summer for 100 years

9:20am Friday 31st August 2012 in News By Richard Catton, richard.catton@thepress.co.uk

THE wettest summer in 100 years brought more flooding to the region’s roads and saw river levels rise after two days of heavy rain.

A motorist was trapped in his car at Stamford Bridge yesterday morning after torrential rain saw the River Derwent overflow its banks. He managed to get to safety before 999 crews arrived.

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service was also called out to winch a car free from flood waters in Leavening Road, Barton le Willows, near Malton .

Fire crews attended incidents at Jennyfields and Leeds Road in Harrogate shortly before 9am yesterday, and in Easingwold at about 7.45am, where they assisted council workers with properties which had been affected by floodwater.

While the rain saw North Yorkshire Police warn motorists to avoid back roads in Marton-in-the-Forest, Stillington and Sheriff Hutton, for some people the months of heavy rain are good news.

A spokesman for Yorkshire Water said reservoir levels were “looking great” after becoming low during the dry spring.

He said: “We have seen lots and lots of rain over the last four months and that’s helped to replenish rivers and underground sources.

“The water table has risen but it takes a long time to permeate through the levels. It was very low in May but is rising all the time.”

Whether the higher water table would bring flooding this autumn was impossible to say, according to the Environment Agency, which said most flooding was caused by short but intense bursts of rain.

Meanwhile, new figures have confirmed this summer has been the wettest in England and Wales for 100 years.

Data released by MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, showed that 14.25ins (362mm) of rain fell in June, July and August so far, making it the wettest summer since 1912.

MeteoGroup forecaster Nick Prebble said this summer was set to be the fourth wettest since records began in 1727.

The forecast for today was for sunny weather with a high of 16C while the weekend will be cloudier but dry.