Drought/Low Rainfall Watch - Summer 2018

Graces7 · 30-06-2018 10:21pm

MidMan25 wrote: »

For what?

Danno · 30-06-2018 10:45pm

Was in Wexford today and came home via the N25, New Ross, Mullinavat and M9 route. Some differences along the route regarding greenery. I suspect the areas greener than others are those who got the thunderstorms a few weeks ago. Everything around Durrow is pretty much burnt and moreso than 2013. The ground is rock hard.

Danno · 30-06-2018 10:54pm

https://twitter.com/LaoisWeather/status/1013178741634273280

Lepidoptera · 30-06-2018 11:18pm

Graces7 wrote: »

Worse is that I saw today that most of the tiny elderberries have withered and died on the tree by my door here. Was so looking forward to them, and hope the blackberries and rose hips do not go the same way.

That's really unfortunate for wildlife. They already had a hard spring, and a lot of birds depend on berries later in the year.

hawkwing · 01-07-2018 2:49am

Radar is showing rain in places for the past while but probably nothing falling (not in SE Tipp anyways). Trees are cracking loudly in the forest,sounds like branches breaking-never heard the likes

Graces7 · 01-07-2018 5:43am

Lepidoptera wrote: »

That's really unfortunate for wildlife. They already had a hard spring, and a lot of birds depend on berries later in the year.

The sparrows who are nesting opposite my door are coming in every few minutes with white things in their beaks so are doing fine.

We humans need the berries too

ZX7R · 01-07-2018 9:53am

I am now at 31 days no rain recorded since Friday 31 may in Kildare.
Last two week of may only had rain on 3 days

road_high · 01-07-2018 9:56am

Oneiric 3 wrote: »

Some totals from some of the reporting stations over the last 30, 15 and 7 days. Data is up to yesterday and is courtesy of Met Éireann.

Will post more station data later, but the overall theme at all of them: Very dry.

Why is Oakpark not included on a lot of these lists? Surely close to 0.0 mm

sryanbruen · 01-07-2018 10:55am

Sunshine totals (hours) for Irish stations from the 21st-30th June 2018.

Dublin Airport now in first place with Valentia Observatory in second place.

A general sunny day yet again.

Station|21 Jun|22 Jun|23 Jun|24 Jun|25 Jun|26 Jun|27 Jun|28 Jun|29 Jun|30 Jun|Total
Belmullet|12.7|13.6|14.2|15.8|14.0|11.2|15.4|15.9|15.3|9.5|137.6
Casement Aerodrome|14.1|15.8|13.4|14.8|10.7|9.8|12.8|15.8|15.8|15.5|138.5
Cork Airport|13.2|15.7|14.8|14.9|11.7|11.8|15.5|15.7|15.5|12.1|140.9
Dublin Airport|12.9|15.6|14.4|15.6|12.5|11.3|13.8|15.9|15.8|15.5|143.3
Gurteen|8.1|14.7|15.5|15.9|11.0|12.2|13.7|15.8|15.9|13.6|136.4
Johnstown Castle|2.9|15.8|15.5|5.6|14.0|11.6|15.9|15.5|15.8|15.6|128.2
Knock Airport|10.8|10.9|13.7|16.0|12.6|10.7|14.7|15.2|15.3|11.2|131.1
Malin Head|12.7|10.9|12.6|15.2|14.8|8.4|16.4|16.5|5.9|13.7|127.1
Shannon Airport|13.3|15.1|15.6|15.2|10.5|13.3|14.7|15.5|15.4|11.7|140.3
Valentia Observatory|12.3|15.3|15.5|15.5|11.1|14.5|14.1|15.3|15.1|14.1|142.8

Data comes from Met Éireann.

Danno · 01-07-2018 11:46am

LaoisWeather (@LaoisWeather) Tweeted:
It looks like "The Greens" in @DurrowLaois will have to be temporarily renamed The Browns for the foreseeable! #heatwave #heatwaveireland #drought18 @MetEireann https://t.co/Ebey0nujHH https://twitter.com/LaoisWeather/status/1013366794885783552?s=17

Gaoth Laidir · 01-07-2018 12:58pm

Celbridge turning yellow.

MJohnston · 01-07-2018 1:20pm

Phoenix Park is beginning to resemble the way the SF Bay Area looked when I lived there. I'll get a photo of it later.

Dublin is a little bit cloudier today, which is lovely because it's letting our house cool down for the first time in a week!

Xenji · 01-07-2018 2:10pm

Oneiric 3 wrote: »

Some totals from some of the reporting stations over the last 30, 15 and 7 days. Data is up to yesterday and is courtesy of Met Éireann.

Will post more station data later, but the overall theme at all of them: Very dry.

The majority of that rain for Newport fell in one day on the 19th of June.

Graces7 · 01-07-2018 3:55pm

So dry out there and we are still green. West Mayo offshore island. Still green and growing.

Lepidoptera · 01-07-2018 4:23pm

Graces7 wrote: »

The sparrows who are nesting opposite my door are coming in every few minutes with white things in their beaks so are doing fine.

We humans need the berries too

We humans have plenty of available options for food, unlike wildlife

Different birds have different diets, and all birds depend on having lots of food available during nesting season because they have to be able to support both themselves and their young. The tree and house sparrow populations are one of the healthier ones in Ireland, but even their numbers have been in overall decline to the point of being Amber listed.

Lots of birds struggled enormously with the delayed spring as the snows arrived at a time when there wasn't much left to eat to stay warm. This also led to a bad spread of trichomoniasis (canker) this year as large numbers of birds were brought into close contact with each other for the scarce food and water resources available. Finch and sparrow populations have been hit very badly this year with trich.

I love elderberries and rosehips etc as well, so I wasn't criticising you. I'm concerned to hear about trees and hedges shedding leaves and berries as that's very bad news for wildlife. We're not in danger of starving later in the year, but they are.

Graces7 · 01-07-2018 5:42pm

Lepidoptera wrote: »

We humans have plenty of available options for food, unlike wildlife

Different birds have different diets, and all birds depend on having lots of food available during nesting season because they have to be able to support both themselves and their young. The tree and house sparrow populations are one of the healthier ones in Ireland, but even their numbers have been in overall decline to the point of being Amber listed.

Lots of birds struggled enormously with the delayed spring as the snows arrived at a time when there wasn't much left to eat to stay warm. This also led to a bad spread of trichomoniasis (canker) this year as large numbers of birds were brought into close contact with each other for the scarce food and water resources available. Finch and sparrow populations have been hit very badly this year with trich.

I love elderberries and rosehips etc as well, so I wasn't criticising you. I'm concerned to hear about trees and hedges shedding leaves and berries as that's very bad news for wildlife. We're not in danger of starving later in the year, but they are.

Well maybe but every year I hear this and every year the hedges are still filled with fruit that rots as there is an abundance, And as I said to one lady we are God's little birds too and need the fruit. Badly.

I will certainly need the wild fruit more than ever this year. And i mean need.

People before birds always.

Over and out.

Oneiric 3 · 01-07-2018 5:55pm

June rainfall stats for Oak Park...

Total: 5.2mm
Number of absolute dry days (0.0mm) 23
Longest consecutive run of absolute dry days: 11 (June 2 - 12)
Highest daily total: 1.4mm on the 13th

-From Met Éireann

Chris_5339762 · 01-07-2018 8:50pm

Was over in Castlebar today and up in the hills around Nephin. Hill mist, drizzle, a touch of rain and 14º.

Kermit.de.frog · 01-07-2018 9:06pm

Some sharp contrasts between the northwest and southeast!

Just today in North Dub I noticed some leaves from trees being shed. I know some brought this up in recent days but only seeing it for the first time now.

Oneiric 3 · 01-07-2018 9:55pm

The grassy areas around the housing estate I am living in are still more or less green, but a noticeable increase in yellow patches forming. The verges however look pretty dead at this stage. Nearby parklands and sports grounds look ok for now. The few wet days in June seems to have kept things in check around these parts...for now.

Mars Bar · 01-07-2018 9:57pm

Our garden and the surrounding gardens are fair green here too.

MJohnston · 01-07-2018 10:00pm

Phoenix Park starting to look very brown all around

sdanseo · 01-07-2018 10:06pm

Looking at tonight's ECM there is the distinct threat that it won't rain again until it's nearly August. Wonder what the fields will look like then. :eek:

Kermit.de.frog · 01-07-2018 10:13pm

It's a double hit really as the snowfall in late February and March had already inhibited growth at a crucial time. Still the western half of the country has seen more rain than the Dublin area for example and is better positioned. In Dublin grass is looking increasingly brown and fragile and growth has effectively halted in my locale anyway.

MJohnston · 01-07-2018 10:20pm

I'd wonder if there's any way of using the rainfall data to figure out a "total useful rainfall" number for Dublin. By that I mean that a lot of the total rainfall for the year has come from very heavy rainfall over short durations, which seems like it would somewhat less useful because of the amount of runoff.

Basically, it feels like there hasn't been sustained rainfall in Dublin in many months, even before the May sunny period started.

Farmer2017 · 01-07-2018 10:26pm

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

It's a double hit really as the snowfall in late February and March had already inhibited growth at a crucial time. Still the western half of the country has seen more rain than the Dublin area for example and is better positioned. In Dublin grass is looking increasingly brown and fragile and growth has effectively halted in my locale anyway.

How long do u think this block will keep up....... it getting v serious for farmers Nd wildlife regards feed for the winter months

Kermit.de.frog · 01-07-2018 10:32pm

Farmer2017 wrote: »

How long do u think this block will keep up....... it getting v serious for farmers Nd wildlife regards feed for the winter months

That's impossible to say but if I had to take a punt on an actual breakdown I would go with the 3rd week of July.

Not much doing on any of the long range models before that in terms of change unfortunately. It's high pressure directing things.

Just have to do your best in challenging circumstances.

Farmer2017 · 01-07-2018 10:34pm

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

That's impossible to say but if I had to take a punt on an actual breakdown I would go with the 3rd week of July.

Not much doing on any of the long range models before that in terms of change unfortunately. It's high pressure directing things.

Just have to do your best in challenging circumstances.

Thank you. Is a chance this high that promised next weekend will shift away from us before it happens.

Kermit.de.frog · 01-07-2018 10:38pm

Farmer2017 wrote: »

Thank you. Is a chance this high that promised next weekend will shift away from us before it happens.

There is always a chance!

But confidence is quite high for next weekend - surprisingly so. There is a lot of inter-model and cross model agreement which is always a strong signal.

Keep up to date here, if anything big changes it will be posted straight away.

SleetAndSnow · 01-07-2018 10:51pm

more and more brown and yellow appearing in Cork City. Growth has been stopped since basically the start - mid june.

Oneiric 3 · 02-07-2018 6:16am

MJohnston wrote: »

Phoenix Park starting to look very brown all around

Looks like a scene from 'Little House on the Prairie".

ectoraige · 02-07-2018 7:56am

Alun wrote: »

Saw a rather odd statement in one of the newspaper articles about this where they said that while filling a paddling pool from buckets filled from a tap was ok, filling one with a hosepipe was not.

They take a long time to fill, people using a hosepipe will walk away and leave it, and can easily end up overfilling it. Somebody using a bucket back and forth are going to give up once it's a few inches deep. And many people just won't bother.

ectoraige · 02-07-2018 7:58am

Cantona's Collars wrote: »

Just saw a guy near my road powerhosing his cars. Everything around is burnt yellow from lack of rain.

I powerhosed half my driveway a few weeks ago. Hopefully the Google streetview car won't be passing in the next few months.

SleetAndSnow · 02-07-2018 9:00am

Well that rain that was expected for us down south yesterday never came, so the no rain weeks continues as the grass grows yellower in Cork

Kermit.de.frog · 02-07-2018 9:57am

edit: wrong thread

Oneiric 3 · 02-07-2018 10:48am

Current outlook:

SleetAndSnow · 02-07-2018 11:03am

oh look, its the Wicklow mountains in that picture Oneiric!

sryanbruen · 02-07-2018 11:12am

Sunshine totals (hours) for Irish stations from the 21st June-1st July 2018.

A cloudier day generally yesterday across much of the country though Dublin still had quite a sunny day.

The cloudier conditions have made some stations fall back somewhat with Dublin Airport and Casement Aerodrome in first and second place.

Station|21 Jun|22 Jun|23 Jun|24 Jun|25 Jun|26 Jun|27 Jun|28 Jun|29 Jun|30 Jun|1 Jul|Total
Belmullet|12.7|13.6|14.2|15.8|14.0|11.2|15.4|15.9|15.3|9.5|3.0|140.6
Casement Aerodrome|14.1|15.8|13.4|14.8|10.7|9.8|12.8|15.8|15.8|15.5|12.3|150.8
Cork Airport|13.2|15.7|14.8|14.9|11.7|11.8|15.5|15.7|15.5|12.1|6.7|147.6
Dublin Airport|12.9|15.6|14.4|15.6|12.5|11.3|13.8|15.9|15.8|15.5|14.0|157.3
Gurteen|8.1|14.7|15.5|15.9|11.0|12.2|13.7|15.8|15.9|13.6|6.2|142.6
Johnstown Castle|2.9|15.8|15.5|5.6|14.0|11.6|15.9|15.5|15.8|15.6|8.1|136.3
Knock Airport|10.8|10.9|13.7|16.0|12.6|10.7|14.7|15.2|15.3|11.2|0.2|131.3
Malin Head|12.7|10.9|12.6|15.2|14.8|8.4|16.4|16.5|5.9|13.7|0.1|127.2
Shannon Airport|13.3|15.1|15.6|15.2|10.5|13.3|14.7|15.5|15.4|11.7|8.2|148.5
Valentia Observatory|12.3|15.3|15.5|15.5|11.1|14.5|14.1|15.3|15.1|14.1|7.2|150.0

Data comes from Met Éireann.

xper · 02-07-2018 11:27am

MJohnston wrote: »

Well technically the hosepipe ban doesn't start until Monday, I suppose.

On the way in to work on the bus this morning, spotted a DLR Co Co worker watering the flowers planted on a traffic island on the Blackrock bypass using a hose running from a bowser on the back of a truck.

I don't know if this activity is technically exempt from the ban or not but the optics were terrible if the authorities are relying of appealing to people's sense of responsibility to take the ban seriously.

MJohnston · 02-07-2018 11:33am

xper wrote: »

On the way in to work on the bus this morning, spotted a DLR Co Co worker watering the flowers planted on a traffic island on the Blackrock bypass using a hose running from a bowser on the back of a truck.

I don't know if this activity is technically exempt from the ban or not but the optics were terrible if the authorities are relying of appealing to people's sense of responsibility to take the ban seriously.

Yeah, the ban applies to domestic use only, so the councils would be exempt, and if it's from a truck bowser, then it's probably (hopefully) 'waste' water.

But as you say, it's a bad example to set.

Rougies · 02-07-2018 1:01pm

SleetAndSnow wrote: »

oh look, its the Wicklow mountains in that picture Oneiric!

Jokes aside, it would probably take another couple of months of this weather to dry up the Dublin/Wicklow mountains. Here's a pic taken yesterday, lots of surface water still around so you can only imagine the amount stored up in the boggy ground beneath. I never thought I'd take a picture of a puddle in Ireland thinking it was unusual :pac:

KingdomRushed · 02-07-2018 1:39pm

I’m finding the most recent weather model outlooks to be quite disturbing. We would appear to be in line for a real water crisis going on the latest outputs which in fact show high pressure strengthening next week. I would love to see some rain forecast.

Rougies · 02-07-2018 1:55pm

Just had a look through the cams at https://www.tiitraffic.ie/cams/

Junção cinco, Finglãsa :pac:

EDIT: Here you can see brown leaves on the trees at the bottom left.

MetLuver · 02-07-2018 1:59pm

Rougies wrote: »

Just had a look through the cams at https://www.tiitraffic.ie/cams/

Junção cinco, Finglãsa :pac:

Looks like Arizona or California.

Bananaleaf · 02-07-2018 2:12pm

Is the dry and hot spell expected to carry on well into July? Would it be prudent to stock some bottled water or am I being OTT? We have been conserving the water in our household since long before the imposed ban - it didn't take a genius to see there were going to be problems ahead.

Ms2011 · 02-07-2018 3:45pm

Bananaleaf wrote: »

Is the dry and hot spell expected to carry on well into July? Would it be prudent to stock some bottled water or am I being OTT? We have been conserving the water in our household since long before the imposed ban - it didn't take a genius to see there were going to be problems ahead.

As our 2ltr containers of milk have been used I've been cleaning them & filling them with water & storing them in the fridge.
Better to have it & not need it than to need it and not have .

RebelButtMunch · 02-07-2018 4:25pm

Bananaleaf wrote: »

Is the dry and hot spell expected to carry on well into July? Would it be prudent to stock some bottled water or am I being OTT? We have been conserving the water in our household since long before the imposed ban - it didn't take a genius to see there were going to be problems ahead.

Possibly OTT. If there are water shortages, we'll have to eventually queue up at a tanker and will need to boil that water. My opinion is that storing water now, for that kind of eventuality doesnt pay off. Probably depends a lot on where you live.

Oneiric 3 · 02-07-2018 5:28pm

MetLuver wrote: »

Looks like Arizona or California.

Can you imagine not only being stuck with kind of weather for 90% of the year, but being stuck with this weather surrounded by millions of Californians? A disturbing thought.

MJohnston · 02-07-2018 5:32pm

Oneiric 3 wrote: »

Can you imagine not only being stuck with kind of weather for 90% of the year, but being stuck with this weather surrounded by millions of Californians? A disturbing thought.

I lived in California for a year and a half. The only good thing about the weather was the extremely fresh guacamole.

Donegal Storm · 02-07-2018 5:42pm

The last of the green patches disappearing in the estate here this morning

There's some random places around the town where the grass is still fully green though, can't imagine its all being watered so don't know why some areas are faring so much worse than others. Must be just soil with better water retention I'd guess?

Drought/Low Rainfall Watch - Summer 2018

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