2012 UK Drought

[Staffordshire]

Swansea/Neath area had heavy rain preety much all day, and heavy at that!

[Teesdale]

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/Rmgfs18914.gif

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/Rmgfs1834.gif

An increasingly warm and dry outlook esp across those already dry areas, looks like they will have wait until October for significant rainfall.

[Essan]

The last month when we had with (just) above average rainfall was Oct 2010

It was only at the weekend that the annual total here exceeded what we had in July 2007.

Can't see any significant rain here for the rest of this month so, despite a few wet days, looks like we'll end on ~60% again.

[conor123]

Looks pretty nailed on now that there won't be anymore rain this month here bar a few spits and spots this weekend, incredibly dry August & September here in particular, all the showers have just completely dodged us.

[picog]

Just took a look at the water level in the well — we are on well water here, no mains supply available — and it's 25% full. The well is 20 feet deep, and I reckon we have 5-6 feet of water. That's definitely very low for this time of year — I'd expect to see it 50% full. Looks like we will need to wait until October to see if it refills OK.

[Staffordshire]

Getting some much needed rain today

[mushymanrob]

odd..... we have had plenty of rain over the last 5 weeks or so, i dont measure, but going off ground conditions and grass growth id estimate its been about average here with the ground now moist to a depth after being bone dry all summer.

[TonyH]

Derbyshire has had just 31mm in September, so fairly dry.

Some parts of the MIdlands have had another very dry month with under an inch, such as Coventry and Rugby.

[Terminal Moraine]

just over 55 mm here and no more likely in the remainder of September so that equates to 65% of average. Only 1 month

( February ) has been significantly wetter than average so far this year and the ground at tree root level is very dry, as evidenced by the early leaf fall.

The general dryness follows a dry year in 2010 and we really need a wet end to this year and a wet winter to replenish the ground water.

[Eabie]

The biggest rainfall day here in Coventry this September was a measly 6.8 mm on the 20th. It's been a very dry month in a very dry year, and with this "Indian Summer" now staunchly in place it's hard to see where our needed rain is going to come from.

[cyclonic happiness]

Oh dear! everything really is suffering with this heat at the moment.

In case anyone is not convinced about how bad the drought is in this part of England, llok at these pictures taken this evening.

One is of my Hydrangea, which I've struggled to keep watered all year and have'nt watered for a few day!

The secong is of an Astilbe, which has also died due to lack of water having been planted 3 years ago!!

I think that we're gonna be in serious trouble next summer if we don't get any 'good' falls of rain this winter

[TonyH]

Hmm don't hydrangea die now anyway?

Less than an inch for your area September and still a chance of Warwickshires driest year on record, however it would take just one wet month to put paid to that.

[Michael Fishermans Friend]

Incredibly dry here - hardly any mention on the beeb about the continued drought in the south east as the temps are taking all the headlines! I walked alongside a just recently ploughed field yesterday, it was like a dust bowl, tumble weed on it and more like a scene from 1976 than autumn. With all this sunshine and continued dryness all the leaves will be down come November. Looking at the models even though it does look like becoming more unsettled towards mid-week the rainfall totals will be pretty small I reckon.

Edited October 1, 2011 by Timmy H

[TonyH]

Precious little rain for central and southern parts again next week.

[azores92]

for the next couple of weeks make that, becoming a bit of a joke, we really are in a sustained dry period at the moment, probably countering the wet years of 07 and 08 really.

[loafer]

Very dry in the south east - one of the streams in my garden has completely dried up for the first time since we moved in 2 years ago.

[The PIT]

A rather dry 29.1 mm for last month average normally 64.9 for the month.

[reef]

We only had 15.0mm in September, the driest Ive ever recorded. It'll be interesting to see the totals chart when the metoffice do their update.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

this time last year mind you was shocking, I had torrential rain all day on 1st and 3rd 0ct, (but of course dry at night)

[Staffordshire]

this time last year mind you was shocking, I had torrential rain all day on 1st and 3rd 0ct, (but of course dry at night)

How much rain was measured on each days?

[Aaron]

This time last year was great! 16 mm and 19 mm on the 1st and 3rd.. I could do with some of that now.

[TonyH]

We will be paying for this deficit before too long, be it a mild wet Winter, or a washout Spring/ Summer next year!

[Staffordshire]

Was looking at the radar when that rain was passing south of Birmingham yesterday evening and it just dispersed as soon as it hit the drought ridden areas...

[cyclonic happiness]

We will be paying for this deficit before too long, be it a mild wet Winter, or a washout Spring/ Summer next year!

My way of thinking is that , so long as we are stuck in this dry 'rut' we will continue to have cold winters and warm spring/autumns.

Nothing scientific, just what I and others have noticed over the last 4 years.

Only, if my theory is correct, this winter should be a corker for cold (I think it is more than just co-incidence that the same areas affected by the drought, were the same ones that missed all of the snow last winter in the 'dry corridor'?)

[TEITS]

My way of thinking is that , so long as we are stuck in this dry 'rut' we will continue to have cold winters and warm spring/autumns.

Nothing scientific, just what I and others have noticed over the last 4 years.

Only, if my theory is correct, this winter should be a corker for cold (I think it is more than just co-incidence that the same areas affected by the drought, were the same ones that missed all of the snow last winter in the 'dry corridor'?)

Yes the dry November, Dec last year aren't helping matters with only 6.2mm recorded in Peterborough in Dec. So far this year my rainfall total is 260.8mm. If I total this with Nov/Dec 2010 that makes it 292mm.

Edited October 4, 2011 by THE EYE IN THE SKY