With only 9mm of rain having fallen countrywide since the beginning of the month, it is set to be the driest July ever recorded in Ireland.
At present, drought conditions are worst in Leinster and Munster, as those regions received just 3mm and 6mm of rain respectively. Connacht has had 13mm of rain to date in July.
Th year 2018 has seen declining rainfall levels for three months now, leaving parts of the country with soil moisture deficits as great as 60-80mm. \ Donal O' Leary
On average, Ireland experiences in the region of 76mm for each of the summer months – based on data for a 30-year period from 1981 to 2010. This year, May saw 53mm of rain, while June experienced just 30mm. This brings total rainfall, including July, to 92mm.
At a time of year where soils would have normally received 228mm of rain, they got just a third of that volume. This is having a major effect on grass growth figures, which have plummeted below the 10-year average for this time of year.
According to data from Met Éireann’s rainfall measuring stations, Ireland has never experienced a summer this dry.
In 1976, the last time Ireland entered a period of drought, conditions fluctuated between wet and dry before serious drought conditions took hold in August.
In comparison, 2018 has seen declining rainfall levels for three months now, leaving parts of the country with soil moisture deficits as great as 60mm to 80mm.
In terms of total rainfall, 1976 had a drier start to the year, receiving 437mm of rain in the first six months, but had one of the wettest autumns in recent memory.
In comparison, 509mm of rain fell in the first half of 2018 but much of this was in January and April, which had a serious impact on turnout dates. For farmers when rain fell, rather than the amount that fell, has had the biggest effect.
On a regional level, just 373mm of rain has fallen in Leinster in comparison with Munster and Connacht, which received nearly 600mm each.
With only 9mm of rain having fallen countrywide since the beginning of the month, it is set to be the driest July ever recorded in Ireland.
At present, drought conditions are worst in Leinster and Munster, as those regions received just 3mm and 6mm of rain respectively. Connacht has had 13mm of rain to date in July.
Th year 2018 has seen declining rainfall levels for three months now, leaving parts of the country with soil moisture deficits as great as 60-80mm. \ Donal O' Leary
On average, Ireland experiences in the region of 76mm for each of the summer months – based on data for a 30-year period from 1981 to 2010. This year, May saw 53mm of rain, while June experienced just 30mm. This brings total rainfall, including July, to 92mm.
At a time of year where soils would have normally received 228mm of rain, they got just a third of that volume. This is having a major effect on grass growth figures, which have plummeted below the 10-year average for this time of year.
According to data from Met Éireann’s rainfall measuring stations, Ireland has never experienced a summer this dry.
In 1976, the last time Ireland entered a period of drought, conditions fluctuated between wet and dry before serious drought conditions took hold in August.
In comparison, 2018 has seen declining rainfall levels for three months now, leaving parts of the country with soil moisture deficits as great as 60mm to 80mm.
In terms of total rainfall, 1976 had a drier start to the year, receiving 437mm of rain in the first six months, but had one of the wettest autumns in recent memory.
In comparison, 509mm of rain fell in the first half of 2018 but much of this was in January and April, which had a serious impact on turnout dates. For farmers when rain fell, rather than the amount that fell, has had the biggest effect.
On a regional level, just 373mm of rain has fallen in Leinster in comparison with Munster and Connacht, which received nearly 600mm each.
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