Just for a change, November was a rather damp month, with measurable rain on as many as 18 days. Even so, rainfall amounts for the region were about average. Therefore, the sand-dune water-table rose by only 5 cm, as measured at the Devil’s Hole. It was a generally mild month here with no frost at...
Philip H. Smith, November 2022 Summary Floristic data were collected each year from 2011 to 2022 on embryo dunes and an associated wetland that began to form on Ainsdale beach in 2008 as a southern extension of Birkdale Green Beach. Named the ‘Newest Green Beach’ and eventually covering 2.4 ha, this feature developed rapidly by...
According to the Met. Office, October was another exceptionally mild month; the fourth warmest in England since records began in 1884. The persistence of above average temperatures was particularly unusual. With measurable rain here on 16 days, rainfall was about average for the month but our sand-dune water-table rose by only 1 cm, presumably due to the soil water-deficit caused by the drought. “We still need a lot of rainfall to replenish our water resources” says the Met. Office.
In contrast to earlier months, our rainfall in September was about average, with measureable amounts on 12 days. There were even four properly wet days, something we hadn’t experienced for a long time. Despite this, the sand-dune water-table rose by only 3 cm, probably because the soil was so dry. The Met. Office tells us that the first nine months of 2022 were the warmest since records began in 1884, while it was also the driest year, so far, since 1959. These figures are consistent with a warming trend in Britain, due to climate change that is happening more quickly than predicted.