**Drought**

[Steve Foster]

The temperature hasn't yet hit 20 degrees this spring, however we now find ourselves in a drought!

April showers have bypassed Sussex & much of the country, to leave long sunny, cloudless days.

The last time any rain was recorded at Shoreham Airport was on 3rd April (some 3 weeks ago!). Furthermore no precipitation is expected in the next 10 days either. Furthermore the temperature is expected to rise & we should get to the magic 20 before the end of the month.

So what's happening & why? Is the Icelandic volcanoe having an effect? Is this a sign for a hot summer? How is the 'drought' effecting you?

Yesterday I went & bought a new hose & will be watering my garden this morning. In April!!!!!!!!!!!

Better do likewise I say, before the banning order comes in?

 

[skipper734]

Don't worry, I'm of for a week on the canals a week on Thursday. That will enable the sky's to open.

 

[OzMike]

Just checked out live web cam near pier, looks boootiful there at moment

 

[severnside gull]

why buy a hose pipe now if there is a ban coming?



currently just 1C in rural Somerset where we are but a glorious blue sky and from where I'm sitting I can see 11 jet vapour trails - great news 'cos we are off to Malta in 2 weeks time!

 

[withdeanwombat]

why buy a hose pipe now if there is a ban coming?



currently just 1C in rural Somerset where we are but a glorious blue sky and from where I'm sitting I can see 11 jet vapour trails - great news 'cos we are off to Malta in 2 weeks time!

Yes,it's a beautiful day just outside Taunton,and those same RAF jets are flying about down here!

Enjoy your hols.

 

[Steve Foster]

So how long before any rain is it officially a Drought?
Looking on the web it seems to vary?

Any ideas folks?

 

[severnside gull]

So how long before any rain is it officially a Drought?
Looking on the web it seems to vary?

Any ideas folks?

it varies depending on whether the papers are short of something to scaremonger about

 

[Stat Brother]

The temperature hasn't yet hit 20 degrees this spring, however we now find ourselves in a drought!

April showers have bypassed Sussex & much of the country, to leave long sunny, cloudless days.

I bet it will chuck it down, throughout May.
It seems, to me, we are getting out of kilter with our seasons, by a good month.
Sept and Oct are more like summer than June and July.

 

[Uncle Buck]

So how long before any rain is it officially a Drought?
Looking on the web it seems to vary?

Any ideas folks?

We should be OK for this summer, if you get a dryish winter, then next year is when the bans will kick in.

 

[casbom]

remember in the last two springs we've had glorious weather and they turned out to be our summer weather with both summers average and wet.

I wouldn't bet against that happening again this year!

 

[beorhthelm]

So what's happening & why? Is the Icelandic volcanoe having an effect?

not caused by volcanoe, but it is the reason for the volcano ash comign our way. the normal wet weather system from the SE isnt coming though, as high pressure system is sitting over north Atlantic/Iceland, which gives us slight northly wind and dry air.

 

[Steve Foster]

Today marks 3 weeks exactly that no rain has fallen on the south coast.
With no prospect of a downpour in the next week or even a shower, what has happened to our inclement weather?

Even in the height of summer it's unusual to have a week without rain, but 3 weeks in April?

 

[Big Ernie McCracken]

all the signs point to the worst drought since 1976 and next year will be worse, we have wasted all the extra rain from last year and will find ourselves in a right mess over the next couple of years.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

The environment agency (who monitor these things) seem to thibk there's little chance of a drought.


http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/drought/31749.aspx

Through a lot of the UK (especially down here) we get our water from underground aquifers, which are almost entirely replenished by winter rainfall (lower evaporation and plant root take-up). So, all that rain we had in the winter did its job..

 

[Papa Lazarou]

In fact, if you look at the Met Office / EA Water Resource Report for March,

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Research/March_2010_final.pdf

Although March was below average in terms of rainfall, they do say this:

The five month period ending March 2010 was provisionally the third wettest since records began in 1914 in our Southern Region

So, I think we're fine...

Papa

 

[Gully]

Not sure about a drought yet, but we are definitely in a dry spell, I planted my first seeds in the garden two weeks ago and am pretty sure we haven't had a drop of rain since then.

 

[chidgull]

Showers in the forecast, I just saw...no panic then

 

[scarby]

bring in compulsary water metering

 

[Steve Foster]

In fact, if you look at the Met Office / EA Water Resource Report for March,

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Research/March_2010_final.pdf

Although March was below average in terms of rainfall, they do say this:



So, I think we're fine...

Papa

All well & good but this report was in March.
We have had NO rain whatsoever since April 3rd.
It's in the spring months that the vegetation needs water for rapid growth, so the ground is unbelievably dry just about everywhere.
3 weeks with no rain is unusual in our country
& there is no rain forecast for the next week.
When was the last time in this country that we went a month without any rain?

 

[Questions]

April is statistically the driest month of the year......

Not a lot of people know that.