Monsoon season

[Dave-G]

Some of our recent storms have been monsoon like, whats that done to tall top loaded crops and cracked soil that we shoot over/on

[oldypigeonpopper]

Hello, I use to know an agronomist in the 1980s who worked for shell and he use to survey crop fields , today wheat fields can stand up to inclement weather, barley not so much, I could see heavy rain and dry soil not a good combination on hill farms, 

[Old Boggy]

51 minutes ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

Hello, I use to know an agronomist in the 1980s who worked for shell and he use to survey crop fields , today wheat fields can stand up to inclement weather, barley not so much, I could see heavy rain and dry soil not a good combination on hill farms, 

The shorter stemmed varieties grown now prevent wheat being laid, but to the pigeon`s advantage, it can now support their weight. I am just waiting for the pigeons to find the wheat milky enough for them to perform their relatively new trick of balancing on the top of the crop with outstretched wings and peck at the ears.

OB

[ditchman]

54 minutes ago, oldypigeonpopper said:

Hello, I use to know an agronomist in the 1980s who worked for shell and he use to survey crop fields , today wheat fields can stand up to inclement weather, barley not so much, I could see heavy rain and dry soil not a good combination on hill farms, 

as you point out this has been aware of for many years.......thats why in the 70's the chemical companies developed a chemical spray called "Cycocel"....which was a straw shortner.....then with the advance of genetics short straw varietes were developed at the NIAB ........which is what we use now

[Bigbob]

The shorter stemmed  variety's are less susceptible to this but then you get less animal bedding but a lot of farmers chop up the straw and plough it back in or burn it 

[jall25]

1 hour ago, Bigbob said:

The shorter stemmed  variety's are less susceptible to this but then you get less animal bedding but a lot of farmers chop up the straw and plough it back in or burn it 

When was the last time a farmer burned straw

Stop killing all the flies Bob and go outside 

[Dave-G]

Whoosh - I bought two buckets from B&Q early this afternoon and got home just before a storm came and left them outside. About 90 minutes later the lower part of the garden was and still is awash and over 3" of water in the buckets. Safe to say we are getting some monsoon weather.

[JohnfromUK]

It is very localised whereas true monsoons are not being very predictable 'seasonable' events covering a huge area, though I appreciate the local effect may be monsoon like.

I have a rain gauge in the garden.  We have had what a gardener would call 'good useful rain' on several days in the last week or so - but the highest rainfall has been between 1/2 and 3/4 of an inch in a 24 hour period.  That's (for us) normal wet weather.  When the last serious widespread rain happened locally (great flood of 20th July 2007), we had several inches (officially 140 mm) of rain in 24 hours.

What has been 'different' is that much of the drainage infrastructure has been unable to cope.  Quite what the reason is (more fast runoff, roads not swept, so drains blocked with leaves/grit, ditches not cleared) might all be factors.  Certainly, 3 under road culverts near my house now overflow forcing up the drain covers and run across the road (in effect a minor flood) - and these never used to flood (I have lived locally for over 60 years).  Fact is we have FAR more hard fast run off areas roof, paving, tarmac drives etc. and FAR less fields, gardens and absorbent areas feeding the same ditches and culverts that are probably also now reduced by tree roots etc.

[islandgun]

4 hours ago, JohnfromUK said:

It is very localised whereas true monsoons are not being very predictable 'seasonable' events covering a huge area, though I appreciate the local effect may be monsoon like.

I have a rain gauge in the garden.  We have had what a gardener would call 'good useful rain' on several days in the last week or so - but the highest rainfall has been between 1/2 and 3/4 of an inch in a 24 hour period.  That's (for us) normal wet weather.  When the last serious widespread rain happened locally (great flood of 20th July 2007), we had several inches (officially 140 mm) of rain in 24 hours.

What has been 'different' is that much of the drainage infrastructure has been unable to cope.  Quite what the reason is (more fast runoff, roads not swept, so drains blocked with leaves/grit, ditches not cleared) might all be factors.  Certainly, 3 under road culverts near my house now overflow forcing up the drain covers and run across the road (in effect a minor flood) - and these never used to flood (I have lived locally for over 60 years).  Fact is we have FAR more hard fast run off areas roof, paving, tarmac drives etc. and FAR less fields, gardens and absorbent areas feeding the same ditches and culverts that are probably also now reduced by tree roots etc.

Flash floods in Australia are caused by non absorbent baked hard land, heavy rain often miles away just runs off