18 July 2012
The U.K. received more rain in the first two weeks of this month than it normally gets in all of July, the Met Office said.
The U.K. had 71.8 millimeters (2.8 inches) of rain in the first half of this month, or 103 percent of the average total for the whole of July from 1971 to 2000, the country’s weather forecaster said today in a statement on its website. England has already had 150 percent of the normal amount of rain it usually receives in July, while precipitation has been closer to normal in parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland, the agency said.
Soggy conditions in July followed record rainfall in June and April, which has slowed wheat crop development and left plants at risk of disease, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s grains unit has said.
“After an exceptionally wet and gloomy June, the first half of July has continued the disappointing theme,” the Met Office said.
It’s too early to know whether rainfall in the full month of July will set another record, according to the report. Parts of the U.K. may receive more rain today, while England and Wales may see drier conditions this weekend.
Temperatures averaged 13.7 degrees Celsius (57 degrees Fahrenheit) in the first half of July, or about 1.1 degrees Celsius below normal, the Met Office said. The U.K. has had about 45.5 hours of sunshine in July, about half of the normal amount for this time of year, it said.