Jon's Blog: Hosepipe bans

The imminent lifting of the hosepipe ban by Anglia Water (whose area includes Lincolnshire) will come as no surprise to most people. In fact many are saying the only surprising aspect of all this is why hasn't it been lifted earlier.

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The fact is that Lincolnshire's water supplies are not as 'visible' as, say, West Yorkshire's. The likes of Leeds and Bradford obtain their water from Pennine reservoirs that are clearly full. Lincolnshire's water however is obtained mainly from underground 'aquifers'. Think of it as a huge sponge underground. If it were possible to see these, in early spring 2012, they would have resembled an enormous dry sponge due mainly to two consecutive dry winters - the time when aquifers are replenished. After the wettest April in a century for some and one of the wettest Mays on record followed by an indifferent June, these underground supplies have been topped up to sufficient levels to allow first of all the Environment Agency's drought order to be removed and now Anglia Water's hosepipe ban.There is an old weather saying: 'Be it dry or be it wet, the weather gods will pay their debt' The much reduced rainfall in the south and east of England has now been compensated for by heavy and persistent rainfall over the last few weeks whereas the wettest areas of the U.K. (namely the western Highlands of Scotland) have been enjoying prolonged periods of sunshine.So what's in store for our neck of the woods?

There is no sign of prolonged warm and sunny weather that we all crave so much at this time of year. The Jet stream that governs our weather is simply in the wrong place, however, it looks like somewhat drier and warmer weather is likely, at least for a spell, later next week. By then though, the longest day will have passed and the nights will be drawing in!!

Bye for now. Jon.