As Storm Chandra swept across the UK from 26 to 27 January, it brought a spell of severe weather that combined strong winds and persistent heavy rainfall with already saturated ground.
Named as a deep area of low pressure approached the UK, Chandra arrived rapidly and forcefully, prompting multiple severe weather warnings for rain, wind and snow.
While the storm’s strongest gusts were felt in coastal and upland areas, it was the exceptional rainfall, particularly across southwest England, Wales and parts of Northern Ireland, that became the most significant feature of this system. With the ground saturated from an already unsettled start to the year, Chandra’s arrival tipped several catchments into flooding thresholds and contributed to new January rainfall records.
In this blog, we’ll look at the context behind Storm Chandra, how conditions developed, and the detailed rainfall statistics that illustrate the scale of the event.
What was driving Storm Chandra?
Storm Chandra formed from a deepening Atlantic low that tracked eastwards, drawing in a vigorous fetch of moist air from the southwest. As it neared the UK the system intensified, bringing unusually strong easterly winds to parts of Northern Ireland, as well as strong gusty winds to the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall and southwestern Wales which had already suffered impacts from Storm Goretti.
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Storm Chandra also pushed persistent and heavy rainfall into parts of Dorset, Somerset and Devon. An Amber warning for rain reflected the concerns around the expected rainfall accumulations.
Rainfall overview: 26–27 January
Data from the Storm Chandra provides a detailed picture of rainfall totals between 26 January 12:00 and 27 January 23:59. The standout theme is the concentration of the highest totals in Devon and Cornwall, with some exceptional accumulations across Dartmoor.
Highest UK rainfall totals from Storm Chandra
A number of sites exceeded 60 mm, with the wettest locations seeing over 110 mm of rain:
- White Barrow, Devon – 115.1 mm
The highest total recorded during Storm Chandra, with sustained heavy rainfall through the morning of 27 January. - Katesbridge, County Down – 114.8 mm
A remarkably high total for Northern Ireland, highlighting the storm's broad footprint. Katesbridge also appears frequently in the hourly high‑rainfall records, showing consistent heavy bursts. - Banagher, Caugh Hill, Londonderry – 83.2 mm
Another significant total in Northern Ireland, illustrating how Chandra’s associated rainfall band pivoted northwards. - Dartmoor Training Centre, Devon – 75.7 mm,
- Brookfield Farm, Devon – 73 mm,
- Princetown Prison, Devon – 68.2 mm,
- Bellever, Dartmoor – 67.6 mm,
- Glen Ample, Stirlingshire – 66.6 mm.
These numbers show the clear southwest‑to‑northeast rainfall axis during Chandra’s passage, with the highest totals aligning with upland, windward slopes.
Concentrated heavy rainfall in the southwest
Across Dorset, Devon and Cornwall, dozens of gauges recorded 50–65 mm of rain. Locations such as Compton Abbas Airfield (62.7 mm), Stopgate (61.4 mm), Bastreet (61 mm) and Lee Moor (60.8 mm) reveal that the event’s impacts were not limited to high ground alone.
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Somerset and Hampshire also saw widespread totals between 45 and 55 mm, illustrating the breadth of moderate‑to‑heavy rainfall.
New January rainfall records
Alongside the high‑frequency storm data, several new January records highlight just how exceptional the day‑one rainfall of Storm Chandra was for several locations.
On 1 January 2026, during the early phases of the same unsettled pattern that preceded Chandra, the following sites set new all‑time January daily rainfall station records:
- Katesbridge (Down): 100.8 mm, beating the previous record of 38.2 mm set in 2005.
- Dunkeswell Aerodrome (Devon): 52.8 mm, surpassing 41.0 mm from 1986.
- Hurn (Dorset): 44.4 mm, exceeding 41.5 mm from 1970.
- Cardinham (Cornwall): 44.4 mm, overtaking 38.2 mm from 1999.
- Plymouth Mountbatten (Devon): 43.2 mm, surpassing 40.2 mm set in 1965.
Taking these record‑breaking events together with the storm‑period totals later in the month highlights an exceptionally wet January for many southern and western parts of the UK.
Impacts and context
The combination of already saturated catchments and significant additional rainfall increased the likelihood of surface‑water flooding and rising river levels. While rainfall totals were the primary hazard across the southwest, strong winds contributed to additional disruption elsewhere, especially in Northern Ireland where easterly gusts reached unusual strengths.
Snow also featured on the northern flank of the system, with Capel Curig, Eskdalemuir, and Spadeadam each reporting periods of rain‑snow mix and modest accumulations.
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