Has it rained enough in Southampton?
One shower has passed over in three weeks. Every one wet the leaves and was gone by lunchtime — none of it reached the roots.
Southampton has had 1.5mm of rain in the last 30 days. A normal July here brings 55.7mm — and the driest July in the last 30 years still managed 16.7mm. This is drier than anything on that record.
Rain in Southampton through a normal year
Across a normal year Southampton gets about 772.5mm of rain, most of it in October (84.4mm) and least in June (54.1mm).
That makes Southampton one of the drier places on this site in July — 38th of 40, against Swansea at the wet end (101.1mm) and Bournemouth at the dry end (49.4mm).
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 Southampton 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