Thursday, 02 August 2018
Hottest July I've Recorded
This July finished up the hottest I've recorded since 2010.
Average July Temperatures 2010-2018
It's certainly continued the brilliant summer weather which started in May and has continued through June and July. As far as my records go May, June and now July have all recorded the highest temperatures of the last nine years, resulting in some gorgeous summer weather.
RSPB Bempton Cliffs
However, whilst the lovely, sunny weather has been great for days out, with no issues about whether it's going to rain, that lack of rainfall has had consequences at the allotment. It's meant lots of watering and some crops that we didn't get around to watering have certainly suffered. The worst affected are our potatoes and it's been a case of quarrying our early Casablanca potatoes out of rock hard ground.
July Rainfall 2010-2018
July's rainfall was the second lowest of the last nine years and follows on from a dry May which was 8th driest and June 9th driest since starting my weather records. Over the three months we've managed 50.4mm (1.98in) rather than an average of 148.6mm (5.85in) or about a third of what we might expect. To make matters worse much of that rainfall has come in dribs and drabs, a few millimetres or fractions of an inch at a time, doing no more than wet plant leaves and not get down to soil level where it's required. Some beds on the plot have remained uncultivated throughout summer due to the dry conditions.
Our efforts at watering some crops have turned out to be very productive and on most visits to the plot we return home with a variety of fruit and vegetables.
Allotment Harvest 31 July 2018
The forecast for August is for some more hot weather early next week which quickly breaks down with a return to more average temperatures and more unsettled weather for a time. Maybe the lovely summer weather is coming to an end.
Saturday, 04 August 2018
What Heatwave?
Weather on the TV and in newspapers was all about heatwave conditions in the UK and abroad but not everywhere in the country was basking in glorious sunshine and near record summer temperatures. We headed to the North Yorkshire Moors on Friday and it rained.
It wasn't the best of mornings for shooting video with cameras that don't really want to get wet. A bit of experimentation from the car was required but the clarity was a bit less than perfect. Never mind though we thought that we'd be getting some similar weather at home and it would be good for the garden and allotment so it wasn't all bad news. The weather did brighten up in the afternoon.
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It was noticeable how green the fields and road side verges were compared to the fields of brown around us. Of course there hadn't been any rain at home and there doesn't appear to be any in the forecast for the next week to ten days.
