2012: the second wettest year on record - in pictures

January: a man covers his shoes with plastic carrier bags as he cycles through the rain in London Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

April: a man tries to shelter under a newspaper as he runs through a heavy rain shower Photograph: Matt Dunham/AP

June: children play in a flooded play park in the seaside village of Borth in Wales Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

June: hardy royalists huddle under umbrellas near Tower Bridge ahead of the Thames Diamond Jubilee pageant Photograph: Tal Cohen/EPA

June: a policeman looks out over the River Thames during the Diamond Jubilee Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Reuters

June: water gushes down a set of steps during flooding in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

June: a man cycles through floodwater in Hebburn, Tyne and Wear Photograph: Scott Heppell/AP

June: spectators shelter from the rain as they wait for the Olympic Flame to pass through Newport in Wales Photograph: Ben Birchall/LOCOG/PA

July: torchbearer Gabriella Broadhurst carries the Olympic Flame in heavy rain between Bognor Regis and Westergate Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

July: geese swim through the flooded streets of York after the river Ouse burst its banks Photograph: John Giles/PA

July: spectators shelter from the rain as they watch the women's beach volleyball semifinal match during the London 2012 Olympics Photograph: Marcelo Del Pozo/Reuters

July: rain clouds gather over Horses Guards Parade during the Olympics Photograph: Marcelo Del Pozo/Reuters

July: the crowd during the rain at the Barclaycard Wireless Festival 2012 at Hyde Park in London Photograph: Ian West/PA

July: a man selling Pims sits in the rain during the British F1 Grand Prix at Silverstone Photograph: Paul Hackett/Reuters

July: festival-goers endure the rain at the main stage during the T In The Park Festival at Balado in Kinross Photograph: Ross Gilmore/Redferns via Getty Images

July: tennis fans shelter from the rain on Murry Mount prior to the men's singles final at Wimbledon Photograph: Clive Rose/Getty Images

July: a member of the fire services mans the pump outside a property near Yealmpton on the river Yealm in Devon Photograph: Tim Ireland/PA

November: Diana Mallows, 90, is rescued by the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service after being stranded Photograph: Luke Macgregor/Reuters

November: a flooded caravan park at Abbots Salford on the banks of the river Avon, in Warwickshire Photograph: David Goddard/Getty Images

November: a fisherman makes the most of the rising floodwater from the river Ouse in York Photograph: John Giles/PA

November: flood-damaged stock in a newsagents in Braunton, Devon Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

November: a train waits to pass along flooded track near Taunton in Somerset Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

November: a resident watches the floodwaters rise in St Asaph in North Wales Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

December: a young Christmas shopper looks at floodwater in York city centre Photograph: John Giles/PA