August, 1927, will go down as one of the wettest Augusts in living memory.  Last Saturday’s rain stopped cricket and other outdoor amusements in this district but cleared up for football practices in the evening.  Showers have fallen every day since, and yesterday there were hail and thunder-storms in the Rushden district.  The rainfall registered in the town of Northampton on Saturday was .40in., and that on Sunday .24in., and the total for the month so far is 3.01in., the average for the month of August in other years being 2.44in.  The temperature, which was very low in the middle of last week, has been very variable since.

  The continuance of the rain and the absence of sunshine have seriously affected the harvest.  The grumble of the farmer is proverbial, but the townsman will readily admit that the farmer has something to grumble at to-day, for within recent experience the conditions have hardly been worse.  Many Northamptonshire farmers are convinced that, though the crops look well, the ears are by no means full, and the yield as proved by the threshing machine will be disappointing.  Much of the wheat is down, with the result that the birds are attacking the ears, and every day’s postponement in harvesting mean increased losses.

  Brighter weather is now promised, and some farmers think there may be just enough sunshine to pull the harvest round in many areas.

  Yesterday afternoon and Wednesday afternoon Rushden and district had just the fringe of terrific thunderstorms which raged over Leicestershire and the Leicestershire border of Northamptonshire.  Wednesday’s storm was one of the heaviest on record in that area, and there were remarkable flood scenes, water rushing down the streets, holding up traffic, and pouring into the houses.  The rain was torrential and the thunder deafening, and the lightning came in terrifying flashes.  On one road the water was six feet deep and a motor-van was practically washed off another road, the driver being rescued from drowning by a rope.

  In spite of yesterday’s heavy showers of rain, the river Nene at Ditchford was three feet below the level of the bank at 8 p.m.  Between the rains there has been sufficient time for the surplus water to get away.  Also, the watercourses have been kept very free by the steady frequency of the rain, so that any sudden rush of water did not cause blockage.  It is interesting to see the amounts of rain which have fallen in Rushden during last month and August (to yesterday).  The figures are as follow :-

In August, 1926, only 1.52in. of rain fell in Rushden.