Fire Risk

To be fair, West and North Wales had quite a dumping of rain at the start of the month. Just the other (west) side of the Cambrians from me is a very different (greener) landscape to what I have here on the east side (parched and dry). I would imagine Snowdonia is greener still as they caught even more rain.
The FR have also implemented quite an elaborate fire strategy consisting of maximising power to weight ratios, utilising some diesel assistance and also fire prevention water bowser trains.

 

Worth noting that the people who complain about over interference from Government and 'Nanny State', are often the first ones to complain about lack of Government action and public information when something goes wrong..

'Common Sense', so often quoted as the ultimate human safeguard, is actually a very rare commodity.

 

I suggest that there is an element of the Government being keen to be shown doing something.

There seem to be a lot of mixed messages I might have said

Do NOT light any fire or naked flame outside
Do Not use a charcoal barbecue, fire pit, candle, fireworks or Chinese lanterns
Do not light a bonfire
Clear away any flammable waste from your garden by taking it to your Councils Tip

 

I see on the WSR web site

Operational Changes
Due to the current dry weather conditions, all steam services are currently suspended up to and including Thursday 20th August 2026.

Services will continue to operate with our heritage diesel fleet, please check our daily timetables for up to date information.

We will continue to monitor the situation and update this page accordingly.

 

Very good point. Have done a lot of scrub-cutting bonfires during conservation work (Obviously, not at the moment - and never during spring or summer). A bit of even heavy rain on a heap of cut material soon dries off , so an hour or two after such rain it is still very easy to light a fire. Once sap in twiggy woody material (or cut grass and weeds) has had time to dry out, the inner stuff stays dryish as raindrops just trickle down the outside. Most modern folk don’t realise that, hence their reliance on manufactured firelighters - horrible things and usually unnecessary.

 

The KWVR and the Embsay & Bolton Abbey have reverted to diesel power this weekend too.

 

Two bursts of rain reached parts of Kent in the early hours this morning. My first rain in Mid-Kent since 2 mm on 30 June.

So 46 dry days.

How much fell here in mid-Kent overnight? My rain gauges didn't quite record 1 mm! Sheerness got circa 2 mm and other places may have got slightly more.

Not much more than the dews we have been getting over the last few days. But I hope it is a start on what I feel could be a very long road to recovery for all purposes, and for any form of steam operation returning to my local heritage lines. I just hope they can hang on there with heritage diesel operations that keep the customers arriving.

Bryan

 

As you can probably see from the weather forecast, up here in the North West/Lancashire we got a couple inches of rain last night, enough to refill my 210 litre water butt in the back garden. The sun disappeared around tea time and it has drizzled here on and off since. More significant rain in the forecast for tonight. Like everyone, fingers crossed for more to help not wreck autumn steam galas.

 

So today Wessex Water have announced a hosepipe ban (first since 1976 is the spin).
Yet I can remember having to detach the hose from the tape outside at least twice so we could fill a watering can without being accused of hose use, and we have only been here since December 2014.
I have asked others and they remember bans as well.

 

Couple of mm of rain here in Frome

Hopefully it will dampen the ground so if and when more arrives it will soak in not run off

Perhaps the ESR will get away with running steam today

 

2 inches

Here in Mid-Kent it's rained three nights running - our total so far is 2 mm; 1/12 th of an inch! Not enough to run off anything, so my shed roof filled water butts got no benefit.

Bryan

 

If your 2 mm has been the same as my 2 mm, it won't even get to the ground - just completing its journey on top of the bone dry vegetation.

Bryan

 

Biblical rainfall overnight here in North Cumbria - it woke me up at about 1am.

Over 25mm recorded in Brampton since midnight. Almost as much as was recorded in the whole of July.

 

Very Biblical. In Hertfordshire we only had 1 mm (if that) in July. Last recordable rain fall was 10mm on 23rd June.
It appears to have tried to rain overnight, but nothing recordable.

 

Couple of fairly short spells of very heavy rain just north of Sheffield last night and this afternoon.

Chris

 

Its going to be interesting to see how things unfold in terms of lifting bans up north, we've had a fair bit of rain in Cumbria in the last week (and its consistently hooning it down today) and yesterday I had reason to train it over to Newcastle and there was rain both over the Tyne Valley and in Newcastle whilst I was there?

 

I'd be interested in the wider risk model - we've had some decent rain (our water butts are full again!) but the ground remains very dry, as does a lot of the vegetation.

 

Heavy rain overnight here in North Yorkshire, and it's continuing this morning. Both the S&C and the Little Northwestern got a good soaking, and looking at the EA level meter on Hellifield Beck (which normally responds very quickly to heavy rain) the water has sunk into the ground and not just run off. A good sign.