Rain, rain and more rain - changes to seasons in last 10 years

[GoldenWillow]

We're North West and coming off the best summer and autumn we've had for years, plenty of dry weather but enough rain to keep everything growing well which makes a change from rain all summer and going into autumn already very wet. Last winter was also the driest we've had for around 8 years.

It started raining here over two weeks ago and hasn't really stopped since apart from the odd time and forecast for rain for the foreseeable, pretty normal autumn weather although slightly warmer than normal but we are often mild this time of year.

Other than the good summer it seems to be following the pattern of the last ten years or so.

 

[LEC]

Hi everyone,

Aware that there are a few posts about rain previously but coming in fresh from November 2025.

How many others out there are under water with a rain forecast set in to not stop for 7 days? I am South West of UK and even by English standards this is wild - or wild compared to the last time I had horses in November - is this the norm now?

For context I'm new here - hi everyone! First time back having horses after a 10 year break and second guessing myself constantly - feel like ive forgotten everything, not made any horsey friends yet around here to chat to really. So keep finding myself here looking up threads and loving the advice available so thought id sign up - will also stop me bending the (non-horsey) OH's ear off!

Would love to hear others thoughts/situations/forecasts and also how you are keeping spirits up amidst all the wet weather.

Also any advice for me on how the seasons have changed in the last 10 years and adjustments you've had to make to your horse management because of it would be awesome.

My memory of November is it felt like winter and was cold with frost some mornings - not this endlessly downpour of rain and not dropping below 10 degrees. Was 16 degrees here this Saturday when the sun came out. I was in a T-shirt!

....sorry for long opening thread!

If it's any help had horses in same area for 40 years in Somerset my whole life. Global warming has changed our climate. We are on Somerset levels and farming background. When I was growing up it was wet but not like it is now. I hunted as a kid and sure you would get muddy but you were not slopping in mud. We used to have far colder dryer weather. We would be able to muck spread in Jan/Feb as high chances of frost for a few days. Eventing in March was always hit and miss but April would normally be ok just cold. Now you can have April soaking or very dry. Horse wise we would chew up the fields but again it wasn't so wet that it would be awful come March/April.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

I first noticed a change while we were still farming. When we first got married back in Oct 1971, all winter feeding on the farm was carried out by tractor and trailer. Someone rode the trailer throwing hay off for the cattle and sheep. We could drive a tractor anywhere on the farm at all times of the year, gateways got deep but that was all. By the time we left in April 1994 there were very few fields we could get onto with out getting bogged down, even permanent grassland. We had to get a neighbour with a 4 wheel drive tractor to pull one of our tractors off one field and that was one you would not have expected to be so wet. We were on the top of a hill so not low lying.

 

[southerncomfort]

Temperatures are dropping here next week and looks like we'll see some snow. We've lived here 8 years now and its snowed in November every year except one.

The change I've noticed is that seasons are less clearly defined. I remember August being the hottest month when I was a child, but now it often feels like the first month of Autumn.

Also we seem to lurch from drought to flood and back to drought again with very little middle ground.

 

[Little bit old-fashioned]

If it's any help had horses in same area for 40 years in Somerset my whole life. Global warming has changed our climate. We are on Somerset levels and farming background. When I was growing up it was wet but not like it is now. I hunted as a kid and sure you would get muddy but you were not slopping in mud. We used to have far colder dryer weather. We would be able to muck spread in Jan/Feb as high chances of frost for a few days. Eventing in March was always hit and miss but April would normally be ok just cold. Now you can have April soaking or very dry. Horse wise we would chew up the fields but again it wasn't so wet that it would be awful come March/April.

We are also Somerset and i grew up in Somerset around horses and then had them as a teenager through to mid 20's before moving to London for 10 years and now back to horses after this period. This is exactly how I remember it being when I was growing up and to some extent before having my break. Wet but not like it is now is my memory too.