Drought/Low Rainfall Watch - Summer 2018

Graces7

MidMan25 wrote: »

For what?

Danno

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

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

Lepidoptera

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Celbridge turning yellow.

MJohnston

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

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

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

Lepidoptera

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

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

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

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

Kermit.de.frog

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

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

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

MJohnston

Phoenix Park starting to look very brown all around

sdanseo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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