I admit that I marginally obsessed with rain data.
Over the past ten years I have been involved with projects to reduce flooding local to me. We have just had five new SuDs systems put in this year; we are in a valley, where five small rivers meet, below a hill covered in moving springs.
Our neighbourhood has had no major flooding event this year - despite very heavy downpours over the summer. I take that as a mark of better recent rain management and it's a relief. No homes ruined, drains working now and SuDs taking more excess water.
Some years ago Hosta asked why Devon and Cornwall seem to have more of a problem with water provision than the rest of the Uk. From what I read, they seem to face to perfect storm:
- poor reservoir storage, as they did not need it historically and still not upgraded
- reliance on gathered surface rainfall rather than ground water, boreholes or importing water from other parts of the UK (unlike the south-east of England). I think the local geology and argicultural practices must be informing this too.
- climate change altering rainfall patterns so there have been record drought conditions that have been most hard to recover from in the south west
- a trebling of population during the summer
- all the visitors and locals are starting to use water differently - such as filling paddling pools and swimming pools.
- heavy summer rain does not usually count towards "effective rainfall" as much is lost to evaporation and it does not percolate into the ground and make its way into aquifers. So we need the "right kind of rain" - gentle and often and at the right time of year.
Plenty ( exceptionally / notably high)of rain, but "they" don't harvest it, whilst giving out massive dividends to shareholders , don't invest in water capacity,repair leaks, and introduce hosepipe bans for residents. The joys of privitisation.
Interesting, thanks @Fire. My rain gauge total for August was significantly below the long-term averages for the nearest official site (Finningley), but the document you posted seems to indicate that the wider area had above-average rain which is good news.
We had a good rainfall day yesterday, 26mm in the gauge which makes it the wettest day of 2023 so far. A grand birthday present for me
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
@JennyJ I should think that summer showers are much more localised than full-on winter rain that sets in for long periods. But yes, there will be local variations depending on things like topography, rain shadows, wind pattern. It's a broad brush assessment of what is going on in one region.
Full regional reports should come out in the next few days.
I put a possible list of reasons for the crisis above - there are lots of problems feeding into the situation, summer population increase is one. The water position is not likely to get any easier with increasing extreme weather events. New, better-sited reservoir infrastructure is very expensive, but it sounds like it will have to be done. They are planning emergency desalination plant as well.
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Thanks Fire xx
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
The joys of privitisation.