Tap into truth about rainfall across Wales as heatwave goes on
It’s turning into an uncommonly long and hot summer, with little rainfall since the end of May. The Met Office says rain levels in most areas for July so far are below 10% of the month’s usual average. But where in Wales has had the most rain? Jessica Wal
WALES has basked in warm temperatures for the past couple of months, and with the mercury now forecast to once again rise into the 30s over the next fortnight, there’s no sign of the heatwave coming to an end.
Overall, the country has had just 7% of the expected rainfall in July so far, with an average of just 6.2mm.
And the Met Office says it has been wetter in Wales than in England, where there has been an average of 3.6mm during the same period.
However, some places in west Wales have gone weeks without rain.
Between June 21 and July 14, the weather station in Whitechurch, Pembrokeshire, recorded no rainfall at all.
That was representative of other weather stations, the Met Office said, including the station in Pembroke.
In Whitechurch, there was 0.8mm of rainfall recorded on July 15. Before that, 0.2mm was recorded on June 20.
The most rainfall since May was on June 13, when there was 9mm.
On June 11, it saw 10mm of rainfall, but since then there has not been rainfall above that level.
Data from the Met Office is based on historic counties in Wales, so it can compare today’s results to those of years before.
Pembrokeshire has had 7% of the rainfall that would be expected in July, with 5.7mm falling.
Anglesey has had only 5% of its expected rainfall, while Glamorgan – covering Cardiff, Swansea and the south Wales Valleys areas – has had the same percentage of its expected rainfall, seeing 4.9m so far this month.
Ceredigion is the county with the least amount of expected rain so far this month – 3% or 3.3mm.
Monmouthshire has had 5% of its expected rainfall so far, with 3.4mm.
Carmarthenshire has had 6% of the expected rainfall, with 6.3mm, and Brecknockshire – which covers Brecon and parts of mid Wales – has had 5.5mm of rain.
Nearby Radnorshire has had 11% (or 8.44m), and what was known as Montgomeryshire has had 12% of its expected rainfall, or 10.4mm.
Flintshire has seen 15% of the expected rainfall, at 8.9mm, while Denbighshire has had 33% of expected rainfall at 23.7mm.
What the Met Office calls Merionethshire, the southern part of Gwynedd, has had 14% of expected rainfall, or 17.5mm, while Caernarfonshire, the northern part of Gwynedd, has had 12% of the whole month’s average, with 13mm.
There have been showers, and in some cases torrential downpours and flash flooding in some parts of Wales this week, but the forecast predicts dry and warm conditions for the rest of the month.
Grahame Madge, a spokesman for the Met Office, said: “Long term, it’s hard to clarify, but our three-month expected summer forecast said it would be warmer and drier than average.
“At the moment, that is well within the realms of our outlook. Next week does look like it will remain dry.”
No hosepipe ban has been announced in Wales yet, but Welsh Water said earlier this month that it is asking customers to be “mindful” and “avoid wasting” water.
Ian Christie, managing director of water services, said: “Over the last few months we have taken and will continue to take all the necessary actions to ensure there is enough water in our network during this very dry period.
“We’ve done a lot of groundwork in the background to prepare for this weather and still doing everything we can to safeguard supplies. This includes finding and fixing leaks and putting more water in the network every day than ever before.
“It’s really important that our customers continue to work with us during this period. If they spot a leak, please let us know. We’re also asking them to think about how much water they are using. We want everyone to stay safe and drink water while it’s hot but we’re reminding everyone of the need to use water wisely and efficiently.
“Customers may notice that some reservoir levels are lower than usual, but this isn’t a surprise given this continuing dry weather.
“We are all using more water and we’re putting 20% more water into the system. This is helping us meet higher demand in particular communities. We are also using our own fleet of over 30 tankers to help.
“Even if the weather starts to turn and it rains, it’s important that customers continue to work with us and use any water efficiently. Customers can get advice on our top 10 tips on how to use water efficiently around the home and garden from our website.”
Elsewhere, UK company United Utilities said a “temporary use ban” will come into force on Sunday, August 5.
The ban restricts the use of hosepipes or sprinklers for watering private gardens and washing private cars but customers will still be able to water their gardens with a watering can and wash their vehicles using a bucket and sponge.
A hosepipe ban has been in
place in Northern Ireland since June 29.
Martin Padley, United Utilities water services director, said: “Despite some recent rainfall, reservoir levels are still lower than we would expect at this time of year, and with forecasters predicting a return to hot dry weather for the rest of July, we are now at a point where we will need to impose some temporary restrictions on customers.
“It is not a decision we have taken lightly and we are enormously grateful to customers for having helped reduce the demand on our network over the last couple of weeks, but unless we get a period of sustained rainfall before August 5 these restrictions will help us safeguard essential water supplies for longer.”
Other companies, like Severn Trent Water, which supplies homes and businesses in mid Wales, are asking people to be “water wise”.
A spokeswoman said: “We have no plans for a hosepipe ban, we are just asking people to be water-wise.
“So we’re asking people just to use water wisely.”