. | . |
Britain had driest start to year since 1929: forecasters London (AFP) June 30, 2010 Britain has had the driest first six months of the year for more than eight decades, weather forecasters said Wednesday, amid warnings the lack of rain was putting pressure on water supplies. Official figures from the Met Office forecasting service showed the average rainfall across the country between January and June was 356.8 millimetres (14.05 inches). This made it the driest start to a year since 1929, when 275.7 millimetres was recorded, and the second driest for 100 years. Rainfall for the first six months of 2010 was well below the long-term average of 511.7 millimetres for January to June. The dry conditions have been caused by a lack of Atlantic weather systems, which usually cross Britain bringing bands of rain, especially to western parts, said the Met Office. "These figures paint a graphic picture of why reservoirs in the west are so low by comparison with normal years," said Barrie Clarke, communications director at Water UK, the water industry body. "During such a dry spell it makes sense to use water wisely wherever you live."
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Water News - Science, Technology and Politics
Asia in the grip of water crisis: Asian Development Bank Singapore (AFP) June 30, 2010 Asia is in the grip of a water crisis that could set back the region's robust economic growth if left unresolved, according to a top Asian Development Bank (ADB) official. Arjun Thapan, special adviser to ADB president Harukiko Kuroda on water and infrastructure issues, said governments must start managing the resource better to prevent the problem from worsening. "We certainly believe t ... read more |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |