Rainfall alone doesn’t tell the full story — it’s how rain falls, when it falls, and what condition the ground is already in that determines whether it becomes a problem.
After an exceptionally dry summer across large parts of the UK, 2025 has entered a critical transition period. Rainfall has returned, but not in the steady, evenly distributed way that allows soils to recover gradually. Instead, data shows a pattern of delayed rehydration, sharper weekly increases, and greater variability when compared with recent years.
The interactive chart below compares 2025 rainfall against the previous seven years, highlighting how this year is tracking differently — not just in total accumulation, but in timing and intensity.
Where prolonged dryness caused shrinkage and subsidence risk, autumn and winter rainfall introduces a new threat: soil softening, washout, void formation and rebound movement beneath foundations, pavements and embankments.
Understanding these patterns is no longer just about weather. It’s about anticipating how climate-driven rainfall extremes interact with already-stressed ground — and why rapid, low-disruption intervention is increasingly critical when movement occurs.