[scrapemedic]

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Inga - 25/3/2011 19:25

Well, we are having the first fire of the year on Winter Hill (above Bolton). The grass is tinder dry and evidently catches light very easily.

That is the trouble when you don't get enough rain at this time of year. You have all last years died back grasses that are vulnerable to fire. It takes a long time for grasses to dry out naturally to get them to burn easy.

[Nigel Bolton]

Quote

scrapemedic - 25/3/2011 20:29

Quote

Inga - 25/3/2011 19:25 Well, we are having the first fire of the year on Winter Hill (above Bolton). The grass is tinder dry and evidently catches light very easily.

That is the trouble when you don't get enough rain at this time of year. You have all last years died back grasses that are vulnerable to fire. It takes a long time for grasses to dry out naturally to get them to burn easy.

Might also be the case in Oz in due course. After the previous very wet months, even well into the interior, Antipodean fauna growth must have surged. A return to drought conditions may bring a very serious risk of bush fires, assuming all the bunnies and sheep don't eat the grass first.

N. 

[Inga]

Quote

scrapemedic - 25/3/2011 20:29

Quote

Inga - 25/3/2011 19:25

Well, we are having the first fire of the year on Winter Hill (above Bolton). The grass is tinder dry and evidently catches light very easily.

That is the trouble when you don't get enough rain at this time of year. You have all last years died back grasses that are vulnerable to fire. It takes a long time for grasses to dry out naturally to get them to burn easy.

Yes, that's what it is, last year's dead grass. We also have an arsonist problem. They usually stick to wheely bins, but the moors are one big tempting playground for them.

[John Mason]

A most welcome wet morning here with steady light-moderate rain that will soak in, not just run off :)

Cheers - John

[Ian Williams]

Same here John, wet wet wet! Pushing it past the 15 mm mark for the whole month lol

Week ending:	27th March 2011
Week:	12
Total reservoir storage for the week:	100454 Ml (87.1%)
This week last year total storage was:	111391 Ml (96.5%)

Reservoir details			Historic Data
Reservoir	Net Capacity MI	Current Storage %	Last Year's Storage %	1995 Storage %
Roadford	34,500	77.8	91.6	96.2
Colliford	28,540	87.0	99.8	97.2
Wimbleball	21,320	92.1	99.3	100.0
Stithians	4,967	98.1	100.0	99.5
Burrator	4,210	85.1	99.7	99.5

[Howard Kirby]

A massive 2.5mm here today...a bit of sun would dry that out.

[Inga]

Damp squib here, too.

[Nigel Bolton]

Have had some 'useful' rain, and warm too, has allowed my seeds to germinate quickly. High humidity today has meant that the ground has stayed moist, at times the hills surrounding were shrouded in mist.

However, the River Exe is very low, at a level one would expect during a dry spell in the summer.

N.

[Howard Kirby]

Just 51% of average rainfall here so far in 2011.

[4wd]

136mm for the year here so far - would not be an unusual total for a single month.
Average at this point is about 240mm.
So far not really a problem but as growing season is starting to take off it soon will be.
Today is typical once we get into a dry situation - the radar seems to show significant rain but on the ground the amounts are trifling and evaporate in minutes as rain bands are often associated with strong winds.
Some convective showers in warmer spells now seem the best hope until we get to the usual May/June early summer monsoon season.
March, April and May are frequently quite extreme - wet or dry.
June July and August have never had less than 50mm in recent years even if the monthhas seemed dryish.
Summer rain tends to be more intense but shorter duration.

[skanky]

Noticeably unboggy on some of the bogs over Brown Knoll & Kinder this weekend.

[Nigel Bolton]

One saving grace so far has been the lack of strong, dry easterly winds. However, early warmth this Spring has awoken the fauna such that trees etc will now be drawing on reserves strongly. Deciduous foliation is now well under way. Soil is still moist just under the surface, but my soakaway 'sump' is now dry, suggesting the water table is already low.

N.

[Inga]

After forecasts predicting heavy rain throughout the morning and into the afternoon, completed my walk along the Ribble with barely a speck falling. Found it had been equally dry when I got back to Bolton. Cheated again! On the other hand, grateful not to have been soaked.

[Howard Kirby]

Well on the wettest day of the week...I've scored less than 1mm. It has managed to wash the dust off the car though.

[scrapemedic]

What's rain?

We must have had som ein the last two months, 12.2mm in march and 2.0 in arpil so far.....plus some immersurable amounts according to IverWeather my nearest UKwwAWS site. Really hoping for some this week but it look less and less likely to make a difference.

[Andy Mayhew]

Nothing measurable today, indeed not even enough to dampen the ground, and serious questions now as to whether we'll see any more measureable rainfall this month, based on current model output. This is not good.

[John Mason]

Mid-Wales had a reasonable wetting yesterday but even here the top 5cm of the ground is very dry after the very warm weekend (for the time of year).

Cheers - John

[Dave W]

Very dry round here, yesterdays rain barely wetted the ground with very little more forecast this month now. Paths & tracks are very dry for mid April up on the downs.

[Flatlander]

No measurable rain here since the 3rd April (1.5mm). It keeps missing.

Total rainfall measured since the beginning of March - 7.1mm.

Doubt we'll get much more by the end of this month, either.

[Chris Alder]

A grand total of 1.6mm yesterday doubling the monthly total to 3.2mm.