Has it rained enough in Stoke-on-Trent?
Seven showers have passed over in three weeks. Every one wet the leaves and was gone by lunchtime — none of it reached the roots.
Stoke-on-Trent has had 3.5mm of rain in the last 30 days. A normal July here brings 76.8mm — and the driest July in the last 30 years still managed 26mm. This is drier than anything on that record.
Rain in Stoke-on-Trent through a normal year
Across a normal year Stoke-on-Trent gets about 811.9mm of rain, most of it in October (80.7mm) and least in April (57.7mm).
That makes Stoke-on-Trent one of the wetter places on this site in July — 11th 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 Stoke-on-Trent 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