Drought – the new norm in Spring?

Spring droughts are quite normal in eastern England but the period of little or no rain does seem to be getting longer. In the spring of 2020 we had 50 consecutive dry days. This year the total drought has been shorter but follows a dry winter. Hence irrigation of fields, in this photo it is grass for cellulose production, is a feature of the Lincolnshire farming landscape. Potatoes are particularly thirsty, requiring at least an inch of rain a week to maximise production during the growing season . This rarely falls from the sky, so water from winter extraction reservoirs is sprayed on with these enormous self propelled booms, which tow their supply line behind them.