Jersey officially "in drought"

Thursday 11 July 2019

Islanders are being warned to cut down on their water usage, after Jersey Met confirmed the island is now officially "in drought".

The notice comes after the island entered its 15th consecutive day without measurable rainfall.

Drizzle is expected overnight tonight (Thursday 11 July), but meteorologists say that this isn't enough to alleviate the island's 'drought' status.

The problem arises because the island nearly solely relies on rainfall for its water consumption, as it has limited underground water reserves and no links to external supplies. It is therefore vulnerable to periods of drought.

Pictured: The island hasn't experienced measurable rainfall for 15 days.

“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," Senior Meteorologist, Paul Aked, explained.

Fraser Ralston, Duty Forecaster at the Jersey Met office added: “During the next six 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.” 

Members of the public are now being advised to be mindful of their water use at home, in the garden and at school - despite the warmer weather causing an increase in the domestic consumption of water for activities like car washing, watering the garden or for drinking.