Weather Reports

2014 Summer Rainfall Comparison for Norfolk, Suffolk & East Anglia

Written by Peter George and Andrew Lawes. Posted in Weather Reports

Month

Diana Perowne

Peter Semmence

Pauline Roberts

Terry Read

Peter George

H.P.S. Average

Met. Office  Act

 

Hevingham Norfolk

Drayton Norfolk

Wendling Norfolk

Sisland Norfolk

Pakenham Suffolk

Norfolk / Suffolk

East Anglia

May

122.5mm

146.2mm

107.5mm

113.9mm

121.0mm

122.2mm

88.0mm

June

39.0mm

60.0mm

41.5mm

48.6mm

43.5mm

46.5mm

34.5mm

July

79.0mm

112.2mm

39.0mm

62.0mm

27.0mm

63.8mm

68.4mm

August

69.5mm

92.5mm

104.0mm

113.6mm

97.0mm

95.3mm

94.4mm

May – Aug Total

310.0mm

410.9mm

292.0mm

338.1mm

 288.5mm

327.8mm

285.3mm

Year to Date Total

534.0mm

636.4mm

481.0mm

525.9mm

462.0mm

527.8mm

495.5mm

Once again it has been an interesting period of weather with some wide monthly variations from the five recordings. Heavy summer showers are very hit or miss. Taking East Anglia as a whole the weather has been pretty good with sunshine hours above average in all four months especially in June and July and with higher than average temperatures apart from in August. The greater than average rainfall, over the period, was probably much needed.

Peter George

How Plants Fared During This Period

Of the vegetable crops, this season was a bad one for garlic and shallots, both ending up with rust which stunted their growth producing a very poor crop which didn't store well either. Tomatoes were blighted by powdery mildew on their leaves and they too cropped exceedingly poorly.

Here in Beccles, despite me pruning the parts I could reach and spraying with a systemic fungicide, the mature phillyrea still developed brown spores on the underside of its leaves which results in brown cracks on the leaves which then fall copiously in summer. The crab apple also had powdery mildew on its leaves and seems in a poor way despite previous efforts to stop the blight and canker. On the other hand the chard has grown into monster specimens, its ruby stems, gold stems and white stems supporting crinkled, dark-green leaves like dinghy sails. Miscanthus, both 'Cosmopolitan' and 'Giraffe' are competing to be the tallest – Giraffe having its best year so far.

Andre Lawes