Astronomers at the University of Lancashire have announced this week that in 2025 Preston enjoyed its driest August in over 20 years and one of the driest in 175 years since records began.
The weather station at the Jeremiah Horrocks Observatory in Moor Park has been recording the weather in Preston for 75 years and has archival records dating back for a further 100 years.
University of Lancashire astronomers, working at the Jeremiah Horrocks Institute (JHI), have analysed the data from the weather and come to this surprising conclusion.
The month of August in 2025 registered just 36mm of precipitation. In fact, from August 7th to August 24th, only 0.2mm of rainfall was recorded.
The driest Augusts since records in Preston began in 1849 are: 1947 (3.8mm); 1976 (7.2mm); 1959 (16mm); 1995 (22mm); 1955 (25mm); 2003 (24mm); and now 2025 (36mm).
Professor Derek Ward-Thompson, JHI Director, said ‘What has made this August so unusual is not just that it was the 7th driest in 175 years, but that for almost 3 weeks in the middle of August there was essentially no rainfall at all, with only 0.2mm. Such a dry spell has not been seen since the record-breaking year of 1976, almost 50 years ago’.
He went on to say ‘However, before we become too complacent, it is worth noting that in 1976, September was considerably wetter than the average. This week we seem to have seen the start of that pattern repeating!’
Image: Astronomers observe the Sun at the Jeremiah Horrocks Observatory in Moor Park, Preston.