Rain - when did we last have any in Charlbury?

Sat 28 Jul 2018, 15:59

6.2 mm this morning, quite fierce, at 10 to 6, so was a bit surprised it was such a small amount. No sleep due to spinal injuries biting, so me and daddy Blackbird were both up. He struck quite a comical figure- revelling in the raindrops on the back grass lawn, he was literally cavorting with back feathers all fluffed up almost vertical, wings out and fluttering like a just-fledged chick in front of a parent!

Quite a long way to go to 100mm needed to saturate soil (whatever the word soil means to meterorologists)...

Mon 23 Jul 2018, 09:30

I believe that it comes from Henley Knapp on the Enstone Road, piped from Farmoor reservoir which draws off the Thames, fed by its tributaries. No doubt someone will confirm or correct.

Sun 22 Jul 2018, 17:53

This thread raises a question for me - I don't know where our tap water comes from! River, boreholes into what, piped long distance from resevoirs in Wales, whatever? Basic infrastructure knowledge of the things that our wellbeing and lives depend on and have no idea of how it works...

Sun 22 Jul 2018, 17:43

Interesting, but was surprised by only 100mm, 4 inches, thought it would be higher by a long way! Suppose it depends on what "saturated" means, or how far down the "soil column" from surface to wherever "soil" ceases to be what I think of soil being - i.e the stuff one forks over to grow carrot-fly fodder. Terms used by ecologists/geologists don't necessarily be defined by normal use of language in, say, general conversation... So, does saturated mean like pouring water onto a sponge until it drains off freely with any addition, and what is meant by soil? Just the top few inches, "subsoil", underlying strata, or what in common language we refer to casually as "bedrock"? Not sure what to "google" here, just what is "soil" defined at, or what Her Majesty's finest define and how far down is "soil" and "subsoil" and "bedrock" defined and measured... I should know this having done postgrad studies at Birkbeck in the early 90s, but don't recall much or anything of soil structure. I suppose my excuse is that it is 27 years ago!

Sat 21 Jul 2018, 19:18

Malcolm, maybe the typo in your last post provides a solution via a different branch of Thames Water? Never thought about it that way before!

Sat 21 Jul 2018, 12:28

Malcolm, here's some information that you may find of interest!

The Environment Agency publish a monthly account of the water situation here: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/724529/Water_situation_report_June_2018.pdf .

To saturate the ground we'd need between 71mm and 100mm rain, according to the soil moisture deficit charts.

Fri 20 Jul 2018, 21:56

0.1 inch at 21.55. How much do wee need to restore water level to a "good" level or water saturation? Never thought about it that way before...

Fri 20 Jul 2018, 20:41

0.05 inches as of 20.40hr. Need to take dog for walk - where are me wellies...

Fri 20 Jul 2018, 19:42

Hooray!

Fri 20 Jul 2018, 19:35

Now! Let's see if the rain gauge picks it up!

Fri 20 Jul 2018, 19:21

How about now?

Fri 20 Jul 2018, 19:19

I believe its more like 0 days, 0 hours and...er... 0 minute.

Fri 20 Jul 2018, 11:24

Looking at wunderground I found the following
Heavy rain May 31st
Some rain on June 9, 14 and 17.
So John Dora's kit appears to be correct - 31 days, and counting.

Fri 20 Jul 2018, 09:44

Must be longer than that surely? I would have said more like 50 -60. Maybe it just seams like that.

Wed 18 Jul 2018, 15:45

According to John Dora's Weather at www.dora.abelgratis.com/assets/CharlburyWDL.html there have been 30 days without rain in Charlbury up to now.

Wed 18 Jul 2018, 13:21

I keep looking up at the sky and hoping for a rain cloud - but none has fallen in my garden for weeks, although I know there has been a % chance of showers on the BBC weather forecast many times and it has fallen elsewhere. I have just checked and there is actually a weather warning for Oxfordshire on Friday for slow moving thunderstorms and risk of flooding. Which got me thinking - when did we last have rain?