Thursday proved to be one of the wettest days in the island’s history, with 5.34 inches of rain reported by the Bermuda Weather Service.

Within a single day the island received slightly more rain than the average for the entire month (5.3in), causing widespread flooding in low-lying areas such as Bakery Lane, Woodlands Road and Canal Road.

Thursday’s rainfall beat the previous January one-day record of 3.99in set in 1986. Marshall DeCouto, owner of Wise, Body Wellness on Canal Road, said that more must be done to address flooding in the area, complaining that the canal drainage system has been ignored for many years.

“As Hamilton has become more developed with more asphalt covering the ground, the water has no where to go and we have flooding as we have seen,” he said.

“The canal system should be a priority. This canal system should be cleaned out, maintained on a monthly basis, properly inspected and even improved where possible to provide the best drainage to these low areas in Hamilton and surrounding land.

“The canals in our area have been filled with debris and growing plant life for years now. When Bermuda floods like this, it causes traffic jams, creates road driving hazards and negatively impacts people’s businesses. If the Dutch approached their water issues they way Bermuda has, they would have disappeared as a country long ago.”

Palmetto Road — where heavy rains previously caused the collapse of a retaining wall — was another area affected by flooding, although a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Public Works said that Government deployed sewage trucks to the area to address the issue.

Forecasters are expecting more rain over the weekend, with potentially heavy downfall on Sunday.