Autumn leaves us dryer than usual but beware, a superstorm could be heading for us

Figures for September, October and the first half of November show the UK saw an average of 6.09 inches of rain.

That is less than half the long-term average total of 13.2 inches for autumn.

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Although there have been heavy downpours in recent days, forecasters say this autumn still looks likely to be one of the two or three driest since records started in 1914.

But according to one weather expert, a superstorm could be on its way to batter Britain.

Piers Corbyn, from Weather Actions, uses solar activity to map atmospheric changes. And he is convinced gales of up to 100mph could arrive within the next week.

Low pressure weather systems could mean sea defences are breached in particular on the south coast of England and at the Severn estuary.

He said: "We continue to forecast the British Isles and the North Sea area are likely to be hit by a major storm and associated substorms including possible tornado type events."

But the Met Office last night said there was no sign of a major storm on the horizon.

Spokesman Dave Britton said: "Piers Corbyn's forecasts are yet to be put up for scientific review. The Met Office is the official national weather provider for the UK."

And as rainfall in England in the first two weeks of November amounted to only 12 per cent of the average that could be expected for the whole month, the Met Office has been shown to be right so far.

For the UK as a whole, there was less than an inch in the first half of November, which is 21 per cent of the total monthly long-term average.

Although he predicted an autumn "in the top two or three" for lack of rain, Met Office spokesman John Hammond said the figures did not include the last week in which there has been "quite a bit of rain".

He added: "In the remainder of the month the charts show the pressure looking pretty high and the south of the country at least will miss out on most of the rainfall."

Mr Hammond said temperatures had been "above average" in the autumn so far, adding: "It is all pretty much in line with the autumn forecast from the Met Office.

"Pretty much so far it's dry across the UK and places down in the South have seen the lowest rainfall."

Rainfall across the UK in September was measured at 2.65 inches, two-thirds of the average for the month. October, with 2.48 inches, had just over half its long-term average.

In November, up to the 15th, in Wales there was 13 per cent of the rainfall that could be expected for the whole month.

Those two weeks were the wettest in Scotland, but there was still only 30 per cent of the average monthly total.

Northern Ireland had 21 per cent of the total.