by

by Gerry Warren

gwarren@thekmgroup.co.uk

Retired farmer Tom Castle, who has been collecting rainfall statistics for nearly 60 years, says this winter has so far been the driest and mildest for at least 14 years.

Tom, 86, of Debden Court, Petham, has kept meticulous records which provide a fascinating insight into the weather in east Kent over the decades.

His latest figures show just 23mm of rain fell in November, which is traditionally a wet month, with an average of around 100mm.

So far 105mm has fallen in December, but that was largely boosted by a 35mm deluge on December 13.

Tom, a former Mayor of Canterbury, said: “It has certainly been very dry.
“We had to dig a trench on the farm for a new water pipe recently and even three foot down, the soil was dry as a bone.

“If it carries on like this into January and February I would be very surprised if we don’t have water rationing next summer because we rely on the underground aquifers and reservoirs being topped up during winter.

“The weather does seem to have been a bit chaotic in the last couple of years but last winter’s freeze wasn’t as dramatic as some people have made out and nowhere near as bad as those in 1947 and 1963.”

Tom believes that global warming is having an effect on climate and some of that may be man-made.

But he also thinks that weather patterns are cyclical.

He said: “The trouble is that people think about weather in the short term when even 100 years is a blink of an eye in terms of measuring it.

“There is some evidence to suggest that weather patterns come around every 300 years. You really need to take a long-term view.”