Met Office says island 'not officially' in drought

Guernsey is not experiencing a drought despite a long spell of dry weather, experts say.

Guernsey Met Office's senior meteorologist Adam Heaume said the island was "not officially in absolute drought conditions" which he said were defined as 15 consecutive days with daily rainfall not exceeding 0.2mm (0.008in).

The Environment Agency declared drought across more than half of England on Wednesday and drought was declared across the whole of Wales on Thursday.

Heaume said there had been 5.4mm (0.21in) in July, which was just 12.5% of the average monthly rainfall.

The senior meteorologist said there had been three days in July when at least 0.2mm (0.008in) of rain was recorded at Guernsey Airport "with some areas of the island receiving more than others".

The dry spell which stretched back to March was "undoubtedly a concern for agriculture" and no further rainfall was expected before Monday, he added.

According to Met Office records, March to June also all recorded lower monthly totals compared with the long term averages, with 78% less recorded in April.

Heaume said: "It is only the extremely wet start to the year that means we are currently almost exactly in line with the long term average for the year to date."

Guernsey Water has urged islanders to "use water wisely", with tips including collecting water while waiting for showers to warm up and reusing it.

May and June this year were also the hottest in Guernsey since records with 31.5C (88.7F) and 36.4C (97.5F) respectively, Guernsey Met said.

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