Growth still recovering from the impact of a very wet Winter period

MARCH turned out to be a real month of contrasts with a mixture of extended dry spells – but some quite wet periods as well.

Most parts of the West received 100mms. (c. 4 inches) plus of rainfall through the 31 days of March, although an exception to this was Mace Head in Connemara, with a total of just 69.4mms (less than 3 inches).

However, coming on top of a wet Winter (and late Autumn), land in most parts of the West of Ireland remains either at, or close to, saturation level.

The Met Éireann weather station in Athenry recorded 102.1mms. (just over 4 inches) of rainfall for March but this came on top of some serious rainfall totals since last October.

After a dryish September, 2020, we got a real dousing of rain since, with 168mms. in October; 148.1mms. in November; 151.6mms. in December; 167.3mms. in January and 113.4mms. in February.

While the February and March figures for the Athenry station are only marginally above the average, the real damage was done in the October to January period (inclusive).

During that four-month spell, Galway was ‘bombarded’ with 635mms. (c. 25 inches) of rainfall  – at the Athenry Met Éireann station – which has still left most rivers swollen and land saturated.

Abbeyknockmoy weather recorder Brendan Geraghty, who collected 4.71 inches of rainfall during the month of March, said that a very wet late Autumn and Winter period had left the ground soft everywhere.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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