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Monitoring and predicting river floods have always been of concern for hydrologists. Anomalies in flow patterns alert us of upcoming events. The effect of such anomalies on the multifractality and nonlinear dynamics of the river flow is investigated in this research. The river flow of the River Trent in England from 2018 to 2019 was dissected using the multifractal, power spectrum, and phase space reconstruction techniques. Results show a reduction in multifractality strength before the anomalies in the time series. Moreover, receding trajectories from the attractor in the phase space and augmentation of the power spectrum confirmed a decline in flow multifractality due to anomalies. A compliance comparison of multifractality reduction before anomalies in river flow leads to predicting river floods approximately 12 days in advance. Furthermore, if the multifractal strength does not return to its equilibrium, this is a warning that floods are expected in the near future (less than 10 days). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 30-year daily rainfall data recorded across the UK were analyzed using nonlinear dynamic analysis. • The complexity of UK rainfall dynamics was subjected to pronounced geographic variability. • Long-term and seasonal variabilities of rainfall dynamics were identified. Proper understanding of rainfall variability is of essential importance for meteorological and hydrological modelling. This study examines whether a variety of nonlinear dynamic concepts can yield additional insights in the rainfall variability in the UK. Daily rainfall data recorded over a 30-yr period (1989–2018) from 32 meteorological stations across the UK are analysed using recurrence plots, recurrence quantification analysis techniques and phase space reconstructions. The results of this analysis underscore the complex processes and variability that are associated with the UK's rainfall data. The existence of chaos in UK rainfall data was identified, and the extent of complexity in rainfall dynamics exhibited apparent geographic variability. In general, rainfall dynamics associated with stations on the Eastern coast and in central England tend to be more complex than those at other regions. Rainfall dynamics in Western and Northern Scotland were found to reveal marked long-term variability. Moreover, likewise to the rainfall total, seasonal variability in rainfall dynamics was also evident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]