And the rain kept falling
12/12/2006 ( Weather, )After a relatively normal spring and summer, with excellent growing conditions and no unwelcome surprises, the end to the year has turned all that on it’s head. As this is written, the weather station sitting to my right displays another day with over half an inch of rain. When will it stop?
SEPA’s Flood Warnings are in place for the River Earn above and below Crieff, with predictions for levels to rise again overnight as another band of rain passes through. We’re used to the odd blip in the weather, perhaps a month out of kilter here and there, but since September when we had nearly 5 inches of rain rather than the average 2.2 inches, the rain has just kept falling.
The first half of September seemed relatively normal, with the odd day of heavy rain, but we expect that and expected temperatures to gradually fall and autumn to begin the gradual lead into winter. The temperatures didn’t fall though and no doubt linked to this, things started to get a bit wet from the 18th onwards. The month ended with temperatures 2.4 degrees warmer than average and with twice as much rainfall as usual. The 20th and 24th provided nearly an inch in each 24hrs.
October almost provided some respite, with rainfall only 0.95 above average. Temperatures however remained 2 degrees higher than normal and the latter part of the month provided an unbroken run of daily rainfall from the 17th onwards, albeit without large daily amounts.
The first six days of November did give cause for hope however with almost a week of dry conditions allowing a return of some sense of normality. Not for long though, as from the 7th onwards, on only two days – the 9th and 22nd – did it it not rain. In all 7.26 inches fell, with almost 2 inches on the 30th, making it 4.36 inches above average.
Into December and there has been little respite. Only the 8th and 9th have given any hope, but already on the 12th of the month we are 1.46 inches above the norm. The temperatures give a hint of the number of fronts that have come in from the Atlantic – since May we have experienced temperatures at least one degree warmer than average and frequently more than 2 degrees warmer.
Can we hope for a dry, cold crisp spell? Not if the temperature trend continues. But we live in hope…..
