Forecasters said the rainfall was unprecedented. The Environment Agency recorded 314.4mm of rain in 24 hours in one spot - one of the wettest days ever recorded in England.
"It looks like a very historical event," said Julian Mayes, a forecaster with MeteoGroup UK.
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn told the BBC that flood defenses were meant to withstand a one-in-100-years flood - but could not cope with the volume of water.
"What we dealt with last night was probably more like one-in-a-1 000, so even the very best defences, if you have such quantities of rain in such a short space of time, can be over-topped," Benn said.
SHOOT: Ya think this might possible be related to that theory they've been going on about. Climate change? Maybe we should wait and see, maybe wait for some more evidence before we do anything.
Heavy rain and gales also brought widespread flooding to Ireland, as more than 1m of water shut down the centre of the country's second-largest city, Cork, and more than a dozen towns and villages.
Among the hardest hit communities in England's Lake District was Cockermouth, a market town 530km northwest of London. The town, at the junction of the Cocker and Derwent rivers, is known for being the birthplace of poet William Wordsworth.
"It has devastated the town," said Michael Dunn, manager of the Bitter End pub in Cockermouth. "There is a lot of properties in Main Street, private shops, that have had their windows smashed in by the force of the water and by debris in the water.
"There were cars floating down the street. It will be a long time before Cockermouth recovers from this."
The rain stopped and floodwaters began to ease early on Friday, giving rescuers a chance to reach trapped people by boat. Debris swirled around the boats as they pulled people to safety.
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clipped from www.news24.com
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