11 July 2019
Jersey Met have confirmed that the island is now officially in a period of meteorological absolute drought after a period of 15 consecutive days with no measurable rainfall.
Islanders are being advised to use water wisely and to try and reduce their usage at home, in the garden, at work and at school.
Jersey has limited underground water reserves and no links to external water networks. As a result, the island relies on rainfall for most of the mains water supplied and is therefore vulnerable to periods of drought.
Senior Meteorologist, Paul Aked, said: “A drought is a period of unusually dry weather that persists for a specific period. To reach a meteorological absolute drought we must record 15 consecutive days without 0.2mm of rain. Long periods of drought can cause serious problems such as water supply shortages and crop damage. However, they are natural events that can happen at any time throughout the year but are most common in the summer months when warmer weather moves in”.
Fraser Ralston, Duty Forecaster at the Jersey Met office said: “During the next 6 days the only precipitation currently forecast is a little drizzle overnight on Thursday 11 July into Friday morning, however accumulations are likely to be small so it’s important to start being more aware of our water use.”
During warmer weather it is common to see an increase in the domestic consumption of water when activities such as watering the garden, washing the car or power washing can consume significant volumes.
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