
We keep records of rain here in the Botanic Garden. We have a little rain collection pot with measurements on the side, and record whenever there is any rain, every day. We have accurate records for here of the rainfall from each day of the last twenty years. The total rainfall for the year so far is 329mm, while last year up to this point (September 7th) 692mm of rain had fallen. It’s been so dry, although right now I hear what sounds like all the water in the world angrily hurling itself at Bristol. Who knows what will happen next year; it feels like we’ve reached a stage of hyper unpredictability, the seasons just aren’t being the seasons I remember. Normal is changing. Is normal very wet weather, or very dry weather, or very windy weather? Gone are March winds and April showers, in are named storms and record temperatures.
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