DESPITE RECENT RAINFALL, Dublin is still in the grips of its most intense flash drought since records began in 1850.
Scientists from Maynooth University’s Irish Climate Analysis Unit (Icarus) are warning that recent rains do not make up for months of shortfall and seasonal forecasts show that there is a real possibility of the drought persisting.
Dr Simon Noone, Dr Conor Murphy and Professor Peter Thorne explain in a blog post that there are numerous ways to measure a drought.
A normal SPEI reading is 0 while -2 represents extreme drought.
A reading of -2.7 was recorded for the period from May to July.
‘We are potentially far from done yet’ The researchers note that the two most extreme prior months occurred in the same year.
“Don’t be fooled by a week of recent rains.
The reservoir previously had enough water for about 150 days, something Irish Water described as “a healthy position”.
A hosepipe ban and other water restrictions remain in place throughout the country.
More information on how to conserve water can be found here.