Has it rained enough in Edinburgh?
Rain soaked in today, and the ground has taken it.
Edinburgh has had 33.4mm of rain in the last 30 days. A normal July here brings 77.6mm, so that is about 43% of what the ground usually gets — and the driest July in 30 years was 30.8mm.
Rain reaching the roots · 14 days
21 JulToday
Rain in Edinburgh through a normal year
Across a normal year Edinburgh gets about 849.5mm of rain, most of it in October (89.9mm) and least in April (54.2mm).
That makes Edinburgh one of the wetter places on this site in July — 10th of 40, against Swansea at the wet end (101.1mm) and Bournemouth at the dry end (49.4mm).
JFMAMJJASOND
Average rainfall by month, 1995–2024
What that means for what you grow
- Pots and hanging basketsWorst hit, and first to suffer. Very little soil, fully exposed, and nothing to fall back on — in this weather they can empty in a day.
- Salad and leafy vegShallow-rooted and quick to bolt once they run dry. First priority of anything in the ground.
- Beds and bordersA long soak that reaches the roots is worth more than a daily sprinkle, which only wets the surface and is gone by lunchtime.
- LawnsLeast urgent of the lot. Brown grass is dormant, not dead, and comes back within weeks of proper rain.
- Established shrubs and treesFine as they are. They draw from far deeper than a dry spell reaches.
Your own garden, not the town average
This page is worked out for Edinburgh as a whole. Your garden has its own soil, its own shade and its own planting, and the front page will use your exact location instead.
Check my garden