Guernsey Press

Island is officially in drought – reservoir almost full

GUERNSEY is officially in drought after more than two weeks of blue skies, but the reservoir remains virtually full.

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The ground at L’Ancresse Common is looking a bit scorched as Guernsey is in the midst of a drought. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 28309409)

As of yesterday the island had gone 17 days without any recordable rainfall.

The longest period ever recorded in Guernsey without measurable rainfall was 40 consecutive days in the drought of 1976, when a state of emergency was declared.

Meteorologists define an absolute drought as a period of at least 15 consecutive days on none of which there is 0.2mm or more of rainfall.

The last measurable amount of rainfall in the island was on 10 May, when 4.6mm was recorded.

In total this month there has been 23.3mm of rain, which is less than half of the average for May.

But it is far from the driest May in record. That happened in 1880 with only 0.8mm and, in more recent times in 1989, there was only 4.1mm recorded.

A spokesperson for the Guernsey Met Office said that April, traditionally a month with a reputation for showers, was a record breaker. Above-average temperatures for most of those 30 days made it the warmest April on record.

This month’s temperature is expected to be above average, but will not make it into the record books.

There has been a significant about-turn in the weather this year as it has flipped from deluges to drought.

In February the island received a battering from Storm Ciara and then Storm Dennis – over the course of one lunchtime 7mm of rain fell in two hours.

The position at Guernsey’s reservoir is very different to the situation in 1976 – at the end of last month the reservoir was 99.77% full and was said to be in a ‘healthy position’ for the coming summer months.

The 1976 summer’s drought was the most severe on record and one that did not just inconvenience people but threatened the livelihood of many, particularly in the tomato growing industry.

It was believed to have cost the States Water Board its entire year’s budget in the space of one month.

Despite the suffering, Guernsey residents proved the island could work together as a community.

Only eight instances of over-use from a population that then stood at 57,000 were reported during the whole crisis.

A young politician with a big future named Deputy Roger Berry took over as president of the Water Board in May of that year.

He introduced a nine-point plan to help reduce consumption, including reducing pressure at the mains stopcock, brushing teeth without the tap running and putting pebbles in plastic bags to reduce the volume of water in toilet cisterns.