Sophia Bird: What 'absolute drought' means for Jersey and Guernsey
Jersey and Guernsey are officially in absolute drought conditions from 10am on Monday 26 April.Absolute drought is when there is less than 0.2mm of rainfall for 15 consecutive days.
The conditions follow a dry March for the islands.
So far this April, Jersey has recorded only 12mm of rainfall, around 20% of the 56.7mm which is typically expected this month.
In Guernsey a total of 8.4mm has been recorded, far lower than the average 54mm for April rainfall.Parts of the UK have had just 7% of the expected April rainfall this year.Maison St Louis and Howard David Farm in Jersey are two of the three official sites where rainfall is recorded.
The last time either of these sites had any rainfall was 10 April and at Maison St Louis, only 1.7mm was recorded,
However, due to the showery nature of the wet weather on 10 April at the third site in Jersey, Jersey Airport, there was a different reading, so the absolute drought does not quite apply to the Airport who recorded 0.4mm on 12 April.
Guernsey's last rainfall of 0.2mm or more was also on 10 April at 1.9mm, meaning absolute drought conditions were also recorded this morning.Jersey reservoirs are at 91% capacity and Guernsey's reservoir is at 97.6% so both islands are in a healthy position.
For farmers and growers, it continues to be a challenge but there are showers forecast in the evening of Tuesday 27 April, although only amounting to between 1-3mm.
A further cause for concern for those trying to tend to their gardens and fields is the potential for a ground frost as temperatures fall to three degrees on Thursday 29 April.