[jambop]

First drop of rain we have had in the last 6 or 7 weeks has arrived! Probably will get about a 50mm which is most welcome. This has to be the hottest driest period I can remember in the last 15 years. We always get hot weather but to go with that we get rain. This year has been different we have had very hot weather but no rain. It seems like a lot but in reality it is nothing

[CHRISDONOHUE]

In the West Midlands, we have had fairly similar conditions, making the establishment of recently planted fruit trees and recently transplanted fruit bushes difficult and requiring much watering to get decent vegetable crops.   I can only agree with the exceptional nature of this dry summer.   We had lots of rain in the the early spring when we could have benefited from some of the April showers we had when we were younger which enabled our seeds down outdoors in March to germinate well.

[Subversive_plot]

It's truly a blessing when you really need it, isn't it?

Glad you received a good soaking rain!

[Deborah1]

And here in my part of Brittany, where rain is normally not lacking(!) we’re still waiting 

[snowdrops]

Yesterday morning we had a thunder & lightning storm with a deluge of heavy rain & hail, a lot of plants are very battered & broken at home & on the plot. We needed the rain but perhaps not as ferociously as we got it. At least the hail wasn’t as bad as we got it about 8 years ago when it broke tiles on roofs,windows & wrote off many,many cars in the area mine included 

https://youtu.be/ghUlST1Mt2Q

[jambop]

Yesterday morning we had a thunder & lightning storm with a deluge of heavy rain & hail, a lot of plants are very battered & broken at home & on the plot. We needed the rain but perhaps not as ferociously as we got it. At least the hail wasn’t as bad as we got it about 8 years ago when it broke tiles on roofs,windows & wrote off many,many cars in the area mine included 

ghUlST1Mt2Q

Yes these storms can be very destructive. I remember a hail storm a few years back with golf ball sized hail. It only lasted 10 mins but it destroyed the garden and the car!
The rain we got has helped a little but, and I am not wanting it all at one , we would normally have had much more rain over the last three months. We will get it over the winter though this is one of the wettest regions of France.

[basketcase]

And here in my part of Brittany, where rain is normally not lacking(!) we’re still waiting 

Be careful what you wish for.

Yesterday in Aberdeenshire we got the equivalent of 22-23 days of rain overnight, resulting in flooding and a landslides. In 1 case, about 15-20 miles from where I live, this led to a train being derailed with 3 dead and 6 injured. 

Fortunately (who'd've thought anyone would say that?!) Aberdeen's in lockdown, so only 12 on the train altogether.  So at least those idiot footballers did someone a favour...

[al78]

Here in Horsham we've had one episode of decent rain in the last five months. The recent showers have moistened the top 5 mm of soil, which is still like dust below that. I can't remember a period with such an absence of Atlantic depressions and fronts bringing several hours of steady rain which replenishes the soil moisture. The forecast this week is for more insignificant useless rain. I'll have to buy a book on how to grow UK vegetables in an arid climate  .

[snowdrops]

Yesterday was more torrential rain first thing, followed throughout the day with more showers, the water butts are full & overflowing at the plot now.
This morning we have low cloud & a heavy mist with more rain forecast-shame as I’m having a take away afternoon tea in a local park with friends...plan b in someone’s conservatory will come into play I think

[Christine]

We've had low cloud, mist and grizzle this week which has kept the dust on the plants. Looks like we'll have enough rain to at least lay the dust today and possibly even get through the crust of the soil.With the possibility of more showers to come in the next couple of days. Can only help.

[rowlandwells]

we went down the allotments last Tuesday and things started looking grim begging for rain then on Thursday down it came we where in the greenhouse when it started thundering and lightning and the wife took a sharp exit back down to the house

and boy it rained and basically it hasn't stopped raining every day off and on but boy have things changed in the garden and allotments I'm glad we put a new roof on the potting shed and workshop before it rained and i have to say the rain has cooled things down somewhat making it better to do things outside you can keep your hot weather its not for me but maybe the farmers mite disagree when there getting held up with there  harvesting plans 

[mumofstig]

Yesterday we had a total of 1.6mm of rain, so I'm still watering everything, most days. Trouble is they say we may have to have a hosepipe ban - then the council turn the water off to the plots and we'll lose everything - unless the weather changes, much as I love the sun we really do need a good downpour (several really) 

It's been an awful year, for many reasons, including lack of rain!

[jambop]

Yesterday we had a total of 1.6mm of rain, so I'm still watering everything, most days. Trouble is they say we may have to have a hosepipe ban - then the council turn the water off to the plots and we'll lose everything - unless the weather changes, much as I love the sun we really do need a good downpour (several really) 

It's been an awful year, for many reasons, including lack of rain!

I always have to be careful with what I wish for when it comes to rain... mainly because when we get rain in the summer it is almost always a thunderstorm. The problem there is that increasingly these storms bring  hail which is hugely destructive to the garden and anything else that may be outside when it arrives. The upside is that we are being far better warned if there is going to be a storm that has potential to cause damage to property or personal injury. That all being said this has been about the driest summer I can remember down here and also a very hot one. I have a pond in my garden as do most properties down here and I used the water from that to do a lot of my watering but stopped when there was just enough for the wild life to survive. I used my watering system after that and I have to say I have had some great crops from the garden this year. We did get some rain the last week but really nothing that could replace what we would normally get but it did wet the soil a bit. Still autumn and then winter will arrive and we will be moaning about the torrential rain we are enduring... gardeners we are a funny lot are we not ?   

[JayG]

It would be careless to describe the rainfall here this year as hit and miss, because it's nearly always missed us. 

Yesterday was an exception - 35mm in one day and what looks more like autumnal weather forecast for later this week (hope not, I've got several crops still playing catch-up after the roller-coaster weather since early spring.)

[cc]

A bit over the top now. Although all the waterbutts are full. Possible that it will get the wild mushrooms started. Best year ever last year, dire do far this year.