Rain rain rain and more rain plus wind

We ended September with 214 mm of rain, which is more than 83 mm above the long-term average. Our temperature was 0.5°C lower than the long-term average. It was much wetter in September than any other month this year. 

Meanwhile, today was extraordinarily wet. I had to drive to Galway, and the roads were seriously flooded. I kept wondering how the eV would perform, but Selkie was fine. I also picked up a painting I bought at auction, and I love it. Came home via a different route, much better. Tomorrow, a big storm will affect us. Let's hope it's not too bad.

Monthly values for NEWPORT up to 01-Oct-2025

Total rainfall in millimetres for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2025	105.0	112.4	59.3	102.8	88.2	153.8	130.0	148.2	214.9	23.0			1137.6
2024	125.7	197.5	152.5	119.4	48.8	80.7	80.8	257.5	44.1	150.7	143.3	173.7	1574.7
2023	183.2	91.6	188.4	121.1	48.5	77.9	206.8	139.8	142.4	144.7	209.6	293.8	1847.8
2022	98.8	260.4	67.8	84.0	107.0	148.0	59.2	104.1	97.3	233.9	187.5	154.6	1602.6
LTA	166.4	146.6	129.0	98.0	99.2	93.5	111.6	133.0	131.8	153.9	180.9	190.7	1634.6

Mean temperature in degrees Celsius for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2025	6.0	7.1	8.9	11.6	14.0	14.9	16.5	16.7	13.3	15.7			12.2
2024	6.1	7.9	7.9	9.9	13.1	12.9	14.9	14.9	13.6	11.8	9.2	8.2	10.9
2023	6.6	8.0	7.6	9.9	13.3	17.4	14.9	15.8	15.2	11.9	8.7	7.9	11.4
2022	7.2	7.1	8.0	9.9	12.6	13.8	15.9	16.2	n/a	12.2	9.4	5.2	10.7
LTA	6.3	6.4	7.5	9.5	12.0	14.2	15.5	15.5	13.8	11.1	8.5	6.7	10.6

Mean 10cm soil temperature for NEWPORT at 0900 UTC

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2025	5.1	6.0	8.1	10.9	15.4	16.3	17.8	17.5	13.9	n/a			12.4
2024	4.2	6.5	6.5	9.5	13.6	14.4	15.8	15.4	13.7	11.2	8.9	7.2	10.6
2023	5.2	6.8	6.6	9.1	13.7	18.6	16.3	16.3	14.7	11.1	7.6	6.7	11.1
2022	6.2	6.2	6.3	9.3	13.2	14.8	16.8	16.6	n/a	11.5	8.4	4.4	10.4
LTA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Global Solar Radiation in Joules/cm2 for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2025	7308	11955	25430	44615	64505	45465	47402	38468	29164	275			314587
2024	7248	12401	23032	39685	47333	50366	49632	38203	31451	16628	6586	4121	326686
2023	6245	10639	21429	37277	55732	58473	41797	36857	29338	16225	8326	4411	326749
2022	6311	10756	33399	40555	51569	47246	48439	51169	n/a	15988	7869	6167	319468
LTA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Potential Evapotranspiration (mm) for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2025	12.9	22.0	39.5	70.1	100.3	76.4	80.3	68.6	45.4	0.7			516.2
2024	15.4	18.2	36.0	56.9	74.7	76.7	80.9	60.8	49.0	27.6	14.2	15.6	526.0
2023	14.3	20.9	33.0	56.4	83.3	100.6	70.1	64.4	50.1	26.1	14.2	14.7	548.1
2022	13.7	23.0	47.2	60.6	77.7	76.0	80.4	82.0	n/a	27.2	17.2	9.2	514.2
LTA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Evaporation (mm) for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
2025	17.1	30.5	55.3	97.0	139.0	107.8	110.6	94.7	64.1	1.0			717.1
2024	20.2	25.4	51.9	83.7	104.9	109.8	112.6	88.3	67.8	37.5	18.4	20.0	740.5
2023	18.8	28.2	47.6	81.6	118.2	137.1	99.5	89.1	67.8	35.5	18.4	19.0	760.8
2022	17.9	32.4	66.5	86.8	114.5	109.2	111.1	113.2	n/a	37.0	22.0	11.4	722.0
LTA	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Degree Days Below 15.5 Degree Celsius for NEWPORT

Year	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
2025	294	235	205	132	82	49	23	21	76	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
2024	293	221	234	169	91	89	45	41	77	117	191	228	1796
2023	275	210	246	171	85	18	39	26	53	118	203	237	1681
2022	256	234	235	171	97	63	30	28	N/A	103	185	320	N/A

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Notes on the Data

Evaporation and PE data are calculated using Penman/Monteith formulae.
The ‘LTA’ (referred to within a table) is average for the climatological long-term-average (LTA) reference period 1981-2010.
Data updated daily at Mid-day.
To view the Weather Events for Public Works Contracts data, select a station first, then click the link just below the map.

Baking soda for powdery mildew

Germany is launching an initiative in the EU Agricultural Council to secure the use of sodium bicarbonate – the main component of baking powder – in viticulture. The substance has been successfully used against powdery mildew for years. It is considered cost-effective, readily available, and environmentally harmless. Apparently, if a product is approved for agricultural use in the EU, none of its ingredients can be approved for use on their own. Balderdash! We'll have to apply baking soda or baking powder, whichever is correct, next year. 

Germany is also seeking EU approval for the use of potassium phosphonate (or phosphate) as an alternative to copper-based fungicides. Looks like we'll have to try that, too.

The first climate change attribution study

A first-of-its-kind study from Met Éireann and Maynooth University reveals that night-time temperatures, which made summer 2025 the warmest on record, were 40 times more likely due to human-caused climate change. The high-temperature seasonal climate change attribution study for Ireland was conducted under the umbrella of the WASITUS project and aimed to investigate the factors contributing to the record-breaking mean temperature of 16.19°C for summer 2025 (June, July, August).

What this means is that the weather pattern Ireland is seeing can be directly attributed to climate change. 

Autumn has arrived

The leaves are turning colour and falling rapidly. The light has a different tone, and ground frost paints sparkles on the grass in the mornings. We had a very calm day on Monday and managed to get out on the Bay in the Black Demon. That was a thrilling ride. The work in the garden is done for now -- the apples are picked and processed. We're still picking raspberries -- a bumper crop this year. It's been a very wet September with rainfall exceeding 180mm as of today, which is already 50 mm more than the LTA and more to come tonight. 

Hurricane Gabrielle, once a Category 4 storm, is forecast to hit the Azores as I write this. They are expecting winds of about 80 mph, enormous waves of 15-18m, and up to 5 inches of rain. It is racing at 32 mph. It's expected to continue on to Portugal rather than coming our way, thank goodness. Renovations of the house begin this week, with all windows and doors being replaced. At least our new acquisition on the Quay is ready for us to move into. 

 

Provisionally Warmest Summer on Record for Ireland

 

Met Éireann has proclaimed:

"After the warmest spring on record, provisional data from Met Éireann’s long-term stations[1] (dating back to 1900) shows that this summer has become the warmest summer on record for Ireland, surpassing the previous record by 0.08°C."

However, when looking at the top 10 warmest summers, the progression is not linear, meaning it's not every year that becomes a little warmer. Although six of the 10 warmest years occurred in the past 20 years, so the trend is overall upwards. And in 2025, we've almost reached the 2.0°C anomaly. 

Alex clearly remembers the summer of 1976 because he had to ferry water over to the cattle on the islands. After all, it was not only hot but also dry. In those days, the islands lacked a water supply. 

An embarrassment of apples

Alex harvested apples this weekend. He sorted the apples into keepers and juicers, ending up with a surplus of about five bushels.  This afternoon, we made use of our new apple pulping machine. Scary thing, but amazing. A bushel of apples takes about a minute to process, and you can throw them in whole -- no more cutting them in half or more. 

We then pressed the pulp in the hydropress and got about 60 litres of juice. We mixed all the different batches in a fermentation vat, then drew off six or so litres of juice for drinking fresh and freezing. The rest will be fermented into cider. Alex had fun calculating the amount of yeast to include. 

We finally had a satisfying harvest, a good yield and the juice was phenomenally tasty -- sweet and pleasant on the palate. It's all starting to pay off. 

And the donkeys agreed. They got tastings of the residue pulp, and they were thrilled. 

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