False Autumn 2022

Danno

Since last week's heatwave set in, I've noticed more and more trees shedding their leaves. Last Sunday night we had a lightning storm here in the wee hours and some hail came down which really helped the leaves fall. Spent a good hour this evening sweeping up leaves that have blown in around the driveway and back yard following yesterday's breezy conditions.

Curious as to other parts of the country if similar is replicated where other posters live? Photos welcome!

False Autumn is a term for trees that shed leaves early to conserve water and berry trees bear their fruit early also.

Also interested to see if this dry and sunny weather of late leads to a very colourful Autumn.

Gaoth Laidir

I was down in the Kerry Gaeltacht over the weekend and was amazed at the unusual types of flora they have growing down there. Very different to the rest of the country. Everything's in full bloom down there and I didn't see any evidence of stress on trees.

What a beautiful part of the country it is.

Jim_Hodge

Dry sunny weather leads to less colour as trees under stress drop leaves before chlorophyll has been reduced in the leaves. Damp weather leads to chlorophyll free leaves staying attached to the tree and giving the autumn colours.

pad199207

Yeah very evident in the Kildare Desert now. Birch and Whitebeam in particular

Danno

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119502932#Comment_119502932

Interesting. 2013 was the last really vivid Autumn colours I remember of. July, August and September of that year had little over 50% of rainfall around these parts. Perhaps the extra-dry conditions we've endured so far might put the prospects of another vivid Autumn display in peril?

pauldry

In London there were way more leaves on the ground than Sligo. Must be heat stress and false Autumn there but then again is August not Autumn?

Oneiric 3

Swept up a few maple leaves alright today but didn't think much of it at the time. I have seen leaves evem nore yellow and autumnesque though at this time of year in other years. I can't remember exactly, but either August 2015/16 or 17. I recall others and I remarked on it the time on this forum.

Edit, could have been 2013 as well as mentioned above but I just can't remember. It was around that general period of time anyway.

Our cherry tree leaves have yellowed and are about to drop. Very unusual for them. Beginning to notice leaf litter in general too. I put it down to heat stress and a little wind I think. NW Donegal.

secman

In sunny Southeast our garden is very noticeably covered in drooped leaves. The lawn that was lush green a couple of months ago is badly scorched especially along side a large hedge.

It's a heavy clay area and the heavy rain last Mon was soaked up immediately, made little difference at all.

Danno

Snapped these out and about this evening. The beech tree in the last image is really turning colour.

Huge drop on the green at the bottom of the estate in Cork City. All the mature whitethorn trees in my mother's garden have shed hugely. We've had 10mm so far this month after 28mm in July. Just 58 per cent of mean rainfall for the year so far. I have never seen it so dry.

Cumhachtach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058259797/false-autumn-2022

100% in my part of South East Laois. Beech trees started going 2 weeks ago.

No exaggeration to say, pre Ophelia, 17 October 2017, we had no more leaves down.

Raven1221

The season look the same as for the 10 past year here. I think that false affairs like this happens a lot in our world. Courage!

Danno

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119508071#Comment_119508071

Where is your "here"?

Rikand

Cant say much about the leaves, but the giant house spiders are flocking into our home in their droves 😅

OldRio

No early fall here in South Leitrim. The garden is looking lush and the trees full. Summer flowering plants looking wonderful.

Danno

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119508974#Comment_119508974

Shows how for a smallish island like Ireland that our weather can be so varied from region to region. I remember in 2016 speaking with a colleague living along the shores of Lough Derg on the Clare-Tipp border and they felt the summer was wet enough there, meanwhile back here we were having drought conditions with grass burning up. He didn't believe it until I showed him photos on my smartphone. So, @OldRio - pop up a photo of the lush Leitrim countryside for us when you get a chance! 😊

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119509403#Comment_119509403

The woods beside the house, North Louth, are just as in most last weeks of August. A few ornamentals in the garden shed leaves last week due to heat stress but the native trees aren't much different to most years.

OldRio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119509403#Comment_119509403

Will do.

C4000

Stephen's green at lunchtime today....

Danno

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119525488#Comment_119525488

Plenty of leaves down! Grass is green enough though by the looks of things - are the local authorities watering it?

C4000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119525615#Comment_119525615

I'd say so.....they definitely water the more manicured parts around the centre of the park at any rate.

Danno

The lack of rainfall in Durrow is taking its toll on the grass.

Our local walk in Cork City. Huge leaf drop and grass resembling a common in London during a heatwave. I've never seen it like this before.

Orion402

I doubt very much if readers heard of a 'false autumn' before as it seems to re-inforce the contention that August isn't part of that season. I just assume that people have already felt the transition to Autumn by the middle of August as daylight lengths really begin to shorten, even with DST applied.

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1150982

Autumn begins on the September Equinox in America as the meteorology of a continental climate at lower latitudes on the Continent suit that designation with no pretence whatsoever in regard to the dynamics behind the seasons and likewise, the same is happening at our latitudes and the meteorology of a maritime climate. There is no need to appeal to a 'false autumn' unless there is a desperate need to use parched vegetation after the June Solstice (midsummer) to promote the contrived notion.

The nomenclature surrounding of the seasons is not arbitrary outside meteorological concerns insofar as to understand the tendency toward warmer and cooler conditions by hemisphere is an issue of planetary dynamics.

Cumhachtach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119536253#Comment_119536253

The same post appears in all the Met threads. Your posts remind me of those big old 33rpm LPs where there's a bad scratch on one track. The only way to fix it is to lift the needle over the track, or change the record.

Orion402

Young people are cool when given a chance so this silly phrase of 'false autumn' meant to convey that August is not that season could only appeal to those who have lost their youthful ability to be curious, creative and productive. A basic search shows it only emerged a few weeks ago while in the States it means any time before the September Equinox.

Twice today I heard the phrase of meteorological autumn arriving in a few days as opposed to the 'false autumn' in the title of this thread. It is a signature of unreasoning people in Met Eireann and those who conjure up false terms at will. Whether it is in error or fraud is for others to decide.

There is enough visual data from satellites to straighten out technical details which require discipline and firm judgments in an era which is reckless with meteorology, planetary dynamics and all other related topics.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119538902#Comment_119538902

It's definitely fraud.

Orion402

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119539303#Comment_119539303

If society chooses to break a year or orbital circuit of the Sun into 4 distinct seasons, then the Solstices and Equinox milestones are the most physical expression of the midpoints of those seasons while the approximate calendar dates are secondary. It puts meteorology, among other topics, into perspective while not losing sight that planetary dynamics is at the centre of planetary climate.

Americans insist Autumn starts on the September Solstice rather than the beginning of September, so although they recognise the orbital milestone, the relationship between the North/South poles to the planet's divisor and the light/dark hemispheres of the Earth lose all significance. The Irish/British version, including a 'false autumn', is neither here nor there and can only appeal to those who want to move further away from planetary dynamics as the foundation for weather and climate. They probably are not even aware they are doing it, at least consciously, however, that has been the theme with so many other undisciplined misadventures such as changing global warming into climate change modelling.

secman

Ffs...this is a thread about leaves falling earlier than normal due to lack of rain.... but now..... its like complicating the act of boiling an egg for breakfast....😃

beggars_bush

Our small apple tree has shed all its fruit (aided by some pigeons). No apple jelly for us this year.