Could it be, one wonders secretly, that our neighbours have upset the Lord? A memorable previous occasion when this kind of thing occurred, after all, was when God became displeased with his creation and "the rain fell upon the Earth for 40 days and 40 nights, and overflowed exceedingly, and filled all the faces of the Earth".
Be that as it may, it has become more credible in recent times that there are 1,500 million cubic kilometres of water on this planet. While residents of the south of England might be forgiven for feeling most of it at present seems to be flowing over them, the truth is that about 94 per cent of this water resides semi-permanently in the world's oceans. Most of the remaining 6 per cent comprises ice sheets and glaciers, rivers and lakes, and water on or underneath the surface of the land.
A surprisingly small proportion of the world's water - about 14,000 cubic kilometres - is present at any instant in the form of clouds or invisible water vapour in the atmosphere, whence potentially to fall as rain. Indeed, if all the water in the atmosphere at any time were to be condensed and brought to earth, it would yield a film of liquid only an inch in depth.
Water circulates in what we call the hydrological cycle. . Heating of the sea causes evaporation, by which water vapour is absorbed into the atmosphere; in due course this vapour is converted back into water by means of condensation, and falls to earth as precipitation, mainly in the form of rain or snow.
Some of the snow accumulates in the polar regions or on mountains like the Alps, where it may be consolidated into ice to remain captive in this state for centuries.
In more temperate regions, rainfall may be intercepted by vegetation, from which it will evaporate again; or it may reach the ground, to flow along the surface into streams and rivers; sometimes, as we have seen recently, in quite considerable quantities. Sooner or later, the much-travelled liquid completes its cyclic journey, flowing back into the ocean.
Sometimes, as at present, the hydrological cycle may appear to be too vigorous. But in its more relaxed mode it makes life possible here on Earth, and indeed, it has from time to time inspired the poets to contemplate a life in heaven. Goethe, for example, overwhelmed by the Staubbach Falls in Switzerland, was moved to observe that
The human soul resembles the water;
From heaven it comes, to heaven it goes,
And again to the earth, eternally re-cycled.