HEATWAVE BEGINS TO IMPACT FARMERS AND RESIDENTS
LONG HOT SPELL LEADS TO DROUGHT AND FARM CRISIS
THE summer of 2018 is set to enter the annals of Irish summers as one when the sun really did shine, the rain stayed away, and the Wee County sizzled like the Med.
The hottest day so far was June 28th when the mercury reached 28°C, making it the hottest day since July 9th 2013, according to the local amateur weather forecaster whose Louth Weather Facebook page has over 23,000 followers.
Temperatures were above average for most of the month. ‘ The average daily maximum temperatures in June are 18°C. In June we had 23 days which recorded above average temperatures, 16 of these above 20°C. The final seven days in May all recorded over too.’
And if it seems that rain is but just a distant memory, that’s because it is.
‘Our last significant rainfall was on May 14th,’ says Louth Weather. ‘In the remaining 16 days in May we had just 6mm of rainfall. The total rainfall in June was just 15mm, all of which was concentrated in the period around June 14th when Storm Hector passed North West of Ireland.’
There has been no rain in July and Louth Weather says there’s unlikely to be any rain this week.
‘In the 54 days since May 14th we’ve had 21mm rain, whereas the average over the past 30 years would be around 112mm. This deficit of 91mm equates to about one and a half months rain.’
The good weather is set to continue for the rest of the week, meaning that we can continue to enjoy the Mediterranean lifestyle of day trips to the seaside, yoga on the beach, and queues outside the ice cream shops.
There is, however, a downside to the prolonged dry spell, with all parts of the country experiencing drought, with a nationwide hoseban introduced last Friday in a bid to build up water reserves.
Farmers are feeling the brunt of the dry weather which has led to scorched fields where there should be new grass. Teagasc has set up a helpline for farmers who want to speak to an advisor regarding options for feeding stock given the continuing decline in grass growth rates throughout the country.
Matthew McGreehan IFA Cooley branch chairman says that ‘farmers are hoping for rain as everywhere is burnt up, with very little grass.’
‘Cattle and diary farmers are especially hit as they are already having to feed their animals which is eating into next winter’s fodder supplies.’
He points out that this has come on top of last winter’s fodder crisis which means that farmers weren’t carrying any surplus feedstuffs.
‘Straw is a big worry too as some farms reckon the harvest will be down this year as they are late sowing because of the land is so dry. And farmers who would have been hoping to get a second cut of silage are now afraid they won’t get it.’
The dry weather is also affecting local fisheries, with the Dundalk and District Brown Trout and Salmon Anglers Association calling on anglers to refrain from fishing the River Fane until conditions improve. The club also postponed its annual competition due to low water levels. The Grange Trout Fishery in Cooley also suspended fishing due to the heat wave.