Absolute drought hits Surrey - shock!

[Julian Mayes]

I may mock slightly but 15 days without measurable pptn here.   Not that unusual here in recent Aprils.  I wonder if we'll catch any showers today?  If not, add another week to the dry spell.   Another day with a rain shield over the South East - it OUGHT to change in a few hours. Incredibly fast moisture loss from pots outside.  

Julian   

Molesey, Surrey.   

[Brian Wakem]

15 days here too.  And much of that with low dew points so the ground is rock hard now even where it was a bog not too long ago.

-- 

Brian Wakem

Lower Bourne, Farnham, Surrey

http://www.brianwakem.co.uk/weather

Live obs @ 13:50:46 : 8.9C, DP 0.6C, RH 56%, 0.0 mm

[Graham Easterling]

Rather annoyingly, a couple of light showers means no absolute drought her.

However, only 11.2mm in the last 28 days, with the sun, wind & low humidity it is very dry indeed. The light sandy soils are blowing around and covering everything. I've given up cleaning the velux. In fact, looking at the forecast, the February to April 3 months could end up my driest such period on record (since 1991) Mind you, plenty of time to go. 

A capacity crowd (due to Covid number restrictions.) in the geothermally heated section of the Jubilee pool today (30C). One of those days when the wind was certainly cold, but out of it, in the sunshine.

Graham

Penzance

On Sunday, 11 April 2021 at 12:54:22 UTC+1 Julian Mayes wrote:

[jack.h...@gmail.com]

Garden surface watering.

I have problems bending over these days (arthritic spine and knees) so gardening is a challenge.  I make great use of tubs that don't need so much bending on my part.  But they dry out in summer and even this late winter / spring.  I have put some old plastic milk bottles (with the bottom cut off) and set deep into the soil.  When I water through the neck much of it goes down deeply.  This is not an original idea but it will be interesting to see if I have fewer issues wilting plants this season.  I gave a massive 'deep watering' of my tubs on Saturday.

Jack

[Keith (Southend)]

15 days also for me at Southend-on-Sea, no rain yesterday, after looking very threatening and any showers so far have missed us. Ground is now very dry and hard like it seems to be this time of year in most years around these parts. After a very wet January (248%) February say 77% and March 73%.

Keith (Southend)

[Tudor Hughes]

Not quite so arid here.  I measured 0.3 mm on Friday morning and there has just been a brief snow shower here, enough to cover the grass, just about.  Rather pellet-like preciptation.  Temp fell from 8° to 4°.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, NE Surrey, 557 ft, 170 m.

On Sunday, 11 April 2021 at 12:54:22 UTC+1 Julian Mayes wrote:

[Len W]

5.6 mm here in the last 29 days,

drought started on 14th March.

Rather similar to last year when the drought started on 16th March and lasted until 16th April

during which we had just 3.2 mm in 32 days.

I am now walking locally in places which I would normally avoid due to ankle deep mud.

No doubt farmers could do with a little rain.

Reservoirs are 96% full here in SW England.

Len

Wembury, 83 m asl

[Brian Wakem]

The drought was broken here this morning by a dusting of snow.  My Davis VP2 hasn't tipped yet but it should do when it melts.  Tmin -2.6C.

-- 

Brian Wakem

Lower Bourne, Farnham, Surrey

http://www.brianwakem.co.uk/weather

Live obs @ 10:00:00 : 2.7C, DP 1.5C, RH 92%, 0.0 mm

[Julian Mayes]

Drought broken here by 1.5mm of precip, one shower late y'day (hail) and mostly by this morning's snow.  No snow left on ground at 09Z, though part-cover earlier. 

Not often an absolute drought here is broken by snowfall. 

Julian    Molesey.   

[Len W]

0.9 mm here from a few passing showers this morning.

One with hail.

Nothing to break the drought.

Len

Wembury, SW Devon