Dry spell in SE England

[Greg Gruner]

From July 1st - September 14th, my rainfall has been 71.0mm.
The estimated LTA for this period is 126.3mm.
Thus over a 10-week period, the rainfall has been around 56% of normal, or a deficit of 55.3mm.

Combined with temperatures higher than normal, this has resulted in quite a significant soil moisture deficit. Unwatered parts of the garden are very dry indeed!

[Nicholas Gardner]

For the same 1st July - 14th September period the rainfall here has been 74 mm.

That's around 55% of my estimated LTA for the same period.

Recent thunderstorms and showers have started to green-up the countryside and my grass has begun to grow again and look a bit less like straw. The rainy season usually arrives in October when the monthly rainfall figures more than double (from around 45 mm for September to 100 mm for October (based on the last 11 years)). Given the warm SSTs, once it starts raining here proper, it won't stop!

A warm, humid and calm evening here now with 20.6°C at 19:25. One of the last warm ones of this summer?

[Greg Gruner]

The dry spell ended with a bang last night. Very loud thunder, lightning and torrential rain. 28.6mm in the gauge this morning. I expect places in Surrey will have exceeded that, since the radar showed the most intense band of rain to be south-east of here, and very slow moving.

[Len Wood]

Here in SW Devon I have a total of 60.2 mm 1st Sep to 17th Sep.
Couple of large falls of 25 and 16 mm in that total.

About 74 mm is the average total for September in these parts.

[Nicholas Gardner]

Here in SW Devon I have a total of 60.2 mm 1st Sep to 17th Sep.
Couple of large falls of 25 and 16 mm in that total. About 74 mm is the average total for September in these parts.

I've just totalled up my gauge rainfall for this month (1st - 18th) and it is at 28.6 mm (the TBR unusually had over-egged it somewhat (could be a rogue slug in their somewhere)). Not much on the forecast horizon for here and the last rainfall was Tuesday 13th with 4.0 mm from a thunderstorm. 12 days this month to date have had no rain.

Len, I know I'm in a bit of a rainfall shadow here but your September average surprises me as (here) September is often the driest month of the year. Average over the last 11 years is 44 mm and my very estimated LTA is 49 mm.

Even if it turns cold (not in the forecast), this September is going to end up another warm month continuing a trend set in May. All days so far this month have been >20°C.

[John Wilson]

34.9mm here in Nottinghamshire so far this month (65% of long term average). Two really wet days - 9th with 13.3mm and 15th with 9.1mm. Two days with fog in the morning (14th and 15th) but no thunder, lightning or anything exciting.

[Len Wood]

Here in SW Devon I have a total of 60.2 mm 1st Sep to 17th Sep.
Couple of large falls of 25 and 16 mm in that total. About 74 mm is the average total for September in these parts.

I've just totalled up my gauge rainfall for this month (1st - 18th) and it is at 28.6 mm (the TBR unusually had over-egged it somewhat (could be a rogue slug in their somewhere)). Not much on the forecast horizon for here and the last rainfall was Tuesday 13th with 4.0 mm from a thunderstorm. 12 days this month to date have had no rain.

Len, I know I'm in a bit of a rainfall shadow here but your September average surprises me as (here) September is often the driest month of the year. Average over the last 11 years is 44 mm and my very estimated LTA is 49 mm.

Even if it turns cold (not in the forecast), this September is going to end up another warm month continuing a trend set in May. All days so far this month have been >20°C.

Nick,
the 74 mm average (1981-2010) I quoted was for the UKMO at Mount Batten.
I am only 5 km to SE of there and my rain is measured in a standard 5 inch copper gauge.
My Sep. measurements started in 1985.
So I have a 30 yr Sep. average 1985-2014 of 62.1 mm.
A bit less than Mount Batten, possibly because my garden is less exposed in comparison.

Sep. is on avearge a dry month.
October has a whopping 30 yr average of 113 mm!