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Drought/Low Rainfall Watch - Summer 2018

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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 5,932 ✭✭✭hinault


    The very low quantity of rainfall since the end of the drought is very noticeable.

    The lawn in my front garden and my back garden remains rock hard. Usually during April to September I have to cut both lawns every 2 weeks.
    By this time of the year, I would have mowed both lawns about 16 times.

    This year I have moved both lawns 4 times since April 2018, due to the lack of grass growth which I put down to, in part, the huge decrease in rainfall amounts


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,315 ✭✭✭snowstreams


    My grass has been growing like mad since the drought ended.
    But we have had a decent amount of rain here in Athenry compared to the south and east.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,668 ✭✭✭SleetAndSnow


    we've cut the grass once in Cork city since the drought 'ended'. The grass is green and its been drizzling but there isn't a need to cut it. Makes it cut two times in total this summer/autumn


  • Registered Users Posts: 177 ✭✭odyboody


    HighLine wrote: »
    Very good call... levels currently very low. (If you click into the photos of the tweet below, you can see the difference from July to now)

    https://twitter.com/IrelandSkycam/status/1036967396412719104

    What I found really interesting is if you click onto the irelandSkycam web site the photos from January 2017 are very similar water levels to now


  • Registered Users Posts: 13,477 ✭✭✭✭sryanbruen


    MJohnston wrote: »
    Wow, only 1 station essentially at-average. I'd love to see another column with driest summers on record - was Cork the only record breaker?

    Sorry this is taking a long time to answer MJohnston (I'm also working on the replies to other statistical questions that have been asked on here during or after Storm Ali). According to Met Éireann's PDF, Cork Airport was indeed the only record breaker for the #1 spot at least. 2018 fell at least in the top 5 driest at several stations. Mullingar is one example (just abouts beating 1983). Monthly records for Mullingar go back to 1950.

    xfwjQAB.png

    Data comes from Met Éireann.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,473 ✭✭✭Jpmarn


    Still suffering the after affects of the drought that was prevalent over the summer. Made 75 bales in a particular field in the first cut in June. Just did the second cut a month late and only made 39 bales of silage. In a good year I would get about 60 bales in late August and I would have in calf heifers in the field by now. In another field I got a good crop of silage in early June. It got grazed in late July in the height of grass shortages. It is still not fit to cut yet for silage yet. What will happen do this field will depend on the performance of the rest of the farm. Grass growth is highly variable from time to time and from the field to field. Generally growth has been fairly good in the last week. If growth keeps up for the next few weeks it would be quite likely the field would be cut. If not it would be grazed then and would be a help in delaying the start of winter foddering which is a scarce resource this year.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,426 ✭✭✭ZX7R


    Got out and about on the motorcycle today and was shocked to see how many small streams are still bone dry.
    A lot of famers and wildlife going to suffer if we end up with a dryer and colder than average winter


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,235 ✭✭✭Oneiric 3


    Of no great concern really, but of statistical interest, we currently are running at a rainfall deficit (nationally speaking) once again with the current rainfall percentage of normal over the last 28 days coming in at just 67%, which is the lowest value, relative to average, since the 28 day period up to July 29th, and in terms of actual totals, since the 4 week period up to August 14th.

    Below is a chart showing the running 28 day % values since the start of the year. Ever since the summer drought ended, rainfall totals have generally wavered very close to average, but the current trend is downwards once again. And with high pressure once again setting up shop close to Ireland for the coming week, this is a trend that is likey to continue, at least in the short to medium term.


    VjzrJpv.png



    Datums C/O Met Éireann.

    New Moon



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,834 ✭✭✭pauldry


    I was wondering what the situation in the East is as it rains way less this year than previous years. How long before they run into water shortage problems though its promised showery next weekend....hardly a deluge.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,235 ✭✭✭Oneiric 3


    pauldry wrote: »
    I was wondering what the situation in the East is as it rains way less this year than previous years. How long before they run into water shortage problems though its promised showery next weekend....hardly a deluge.


    Totals and percentages for some east and midland stations over the last 4 week period (Met Éireann)


    I1NNImF.png

    New Moon



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  • Registered Users Posts: 14,279 ✭✭✭✭M.T. Cranium


    I was just updating the contest after three weeks of October, and so far the amount has averaged 74% of normal around the country, the first and third weeks were both quite dry, and the second week was relatively wet.

    It would not surprise me if things turn around at some point in the next 2-4 months and we see a month with much above normal rainfall. The most likely month for that, or period, would be mid-November to mid-December. If it does turn quite cold after that, it's hard to get to even half normal precipitation in any colder month as there's a combination of dry weather and snow which has to be reduced by a factor of about ten to get liquid equivalent. So even a heavy snow pack that lasts several weeks may not represent more than half normal precipitation for that time period.

    Even a normal amount of rainfall in November is going to seem like a lot after so many dry months, as an average November can produce over 100 mm of rain in some parts.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 310 ✭✭BlackandGreen


    It's now late october and every night our water is still being turned off from after 8pm to around 6:30am. 
    The pressure doesn't fully restore until about 7am. I'm lucky we have 2 showers in the house, because the electric shower doesn't work with the low water pressure, so I have to use the other one which takes water from the immersion. 
    I'd be screwed in the morning otherwise. I wonder how many other families in my area aren't able to wash themselves before work because of it. 
    I wonder at what stage the nearby reservoirs will return to normal levels or if this drought will continue well up to december, we haven't gotten much rain at all even in the last month. 
    Scary to think what might happen if we don't get some, and this could happen next year too.


  • Registered Users Posts: 33,709 ✭✭✭✭Cantona's Collars


    Large forest fire on Mt. Leinster yesterday. At first I thought it was low cloud and then noticed it was huge plumes of smoke from the fire on the East face.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,932 ✭✭✭hinault


    It's now late october and every night our water is still being turned off from after 8pm to around 6:30am. 
    The pressure doesn't fully restore until about 7am. I'm lucky we have 2 showers in the house, because the electric shower doesn't work with the low water pressure, so I have to use the other one which takes water from the immersion. 
    I'd be screwed in the morning otherwise. I wonder how many other families in my area aren't able to wash themselves before work because of it. 
    I wonder at what stage the nearby reservoirs will return to normal levels or if this drought will continue well up to december, we haven't gotten much rain at all even in the last month. 
    Scary to think what might happen if we don't get some, and this could happen next year too.

    It would appear that since the end of the hot/heatwave we had during the summer, the rainfall deficit issue - at governmental/local authority levels - has become less of a priority.

    The rainfall deficit that was there during the hot period remains because rainfall amounts since the end of the heatwave remain below replenishment thresholds.

    The state authorities should be trying to encourage water harvesting, due to the continuing rainfall deficits, in my opinion


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,932 ✭✭✭hinault


    It's now late october and every night our water is still being turned off from after 8pm to around 6:30am. 
    The pressure doesn't fully restore until about 7am. I'm lucky we have 2 showers in the house, because the electric shower doesn't work with the low water pressure, so I have to use the other one which takes water from the immersion. 
    I'd be screwed in the morning otherwise. I wonder how many other families in my area aren't able to wash themselves before work because of it. 
    I wonder at what stage the nearby reservoirs will return to normal levels or if this drought will continue well up to december, we haven't gotten much rain at all even in the last month. 
    Scary to think what might happen if we don't get some, and this could happen next year too.

    It would appear that since the end of the hot/heatwave we had during the summer, the rainfall deficit issue - at governmental/local authority levels - has become less of a priority.

    The rainfall deficit that was there during the hot period remains because rainfall amounts since the end of the heatwave remain below replenishment thresholds.

    The state authorities should be trying to encourage water harvesting, due to the continuing rainfall deficits, in my opinion


  • Registered Users Posts: 15,290 ✭✭✭✭Supercell


    Perhaps as summer is now long gone water useage has dropped significantly due to less people watering lawns, gardens etc? (even though they were not supposed to be doing it). Must admit I'm surprised at the lack of continuing coverage on this - every month since April has had below average rainfall here :

    https://www.loughlinstown.ie/summary.html

    465078.PNG

    Have a weather station?, why not join the Ireland Weather Network - http://irelandweather.eu/



  • Registered Users Posts: 13,477 ✭✭✭✭sryanbruen


    A historical record of selected Irish stations' Summer rainfall totals (mm) from driest to wettest.

    *Notes there is missing data in these totals so not reliable.

    This is not my final stats on the matter as I have more stations to do including climate ones which have only released June data up to this point so have to wait for July and August to come in.

    VUSj3aZ.jpg

    If you find this hard to read or want the file for yourself, I have attached the excel file.

    Data comes from Met Éireann.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,235 ✭✭✭Oneiric 3


    A quick and final look at the rainfall patterns this year. Seems we have now made up for the lack of rainfall during the summer as the last part of the year finishes much wetter than average.

    Chart below shows the 28 day running rainfall percentage of average at a national level for the 2018.

    mIDoDmr.png

    Data: Met Éireann

    Счастливого Рождества

    New Moon



  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    After all the swings from floods to drought we reached 102 % of the normal yearly rainfall today in Kilkenny, according to kilkennyweather.com.
    It's a bit like an end-of-year balancing statement!


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,744 ✭✭✭appledrop


    appledrop wrote: »
    Extending the hose pipe ban is a joke. Wait + see we will probably get the wettest Sep or Oct now. In fairness no one needs to use the hose pipes because plenty of rain in gardens now! A 3 month hose ban in a country that gets as much rain over the year as we do is an absolute joke. Yes we know we had the drought for few weeks but rain was above average in Dublin for March + April. There is enough water if they coped on + fixed the leaks + stored it properly.

    Surprise surprise as I predicted the rain came! A joke that we had all those restrictions on water in summer. Yes we had a dry period but overall we get plenty of rain in Ireland.
    In Europe used to months of no rain + no bans + they get hardly any rain compared to Ireland. We just need to store it better.


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