Six months dry - or at least, drier than average.

My total for July 37mm. (this was my highest monthly total since Jan!)

Long term average 1971-2000 for this area is c 41mm.

About average then? Well....

......let's not forget that most previous 30 year averages give a July value of
57-62mm, as explained on my recent thread 'Summers are not what they used to
be'.

Jan to July 2003 74 % of average rainfall (1971-2000) for this period.

Not looking forward to 'gorgeous heat' in August and the probable return of
melancholy looking dried up grass. I would much prefer the interesting and
varied cloudscapes of a spell of 'unsettled' weather than the one okta of
cirrus we have right now.

Julian Mayes, W Molesey, Surrey

In uk.sci.weather on Sat, 2 Aug 2003 at 22:25:18, Martin Dixon wrote :

Could this be another 1995, when IIRC the grass was particularly brown after
a dry August.

Rainfall here for July 50% above average, so grass is nice & green for
now.
--
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham, England

Total rainfall here (see sig file) for July 2003 = 39mm (~ 80% eLTA)

Total for year so far = 321 mm (~ 88% eLTA)

Total for February to July (incl) = 235 mm ( ~ 77% eLTA)

None of the anomalies particularly dramatic, but the relative
persistence of dry weather since late January, coupled to the often
intense sunshine (possible local record amounts - since 1959), and
steady/drying winds has meant that soil-moisture hereabouts is notably
down on the lighter soils (Bagshot sands); not so noticeable across
the clay lands north of Bracknell.

Took great delight a couple of nights ago when a young reporter came
through to assert quite confidently that it had been a wet year then!
This based purely on the reports of high-intensity rainfall of the
past week. Actually, I said, only May was notably wet - for many it
has been a neutral or (as here), quite a dry year!

See:.....

http://www.metoffice.com/climate/uk/2003/rainfall.html
--
Martin Rowley: data via:
http://homepages.ntlworld.com/booty....r/metindex.htm
Bracknell (Wooden Hill/Great Hollands), Berkshire.
NGR: SU 854 667
Lat: 51DEG23MIN30SEC(N); Long: 00DEG46MIN28SEC(W)
Height(amsl): 80 metres (262 feet)