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Finally some rain for Denmark, but not nearly enough
Ben Hamilton
June 16th, 2023
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This article is more than 1 year old.
A cloudburst could hit Copenhagen in the late afternoon, but forecasters disagree about how severe it might be
Copenhageners might have to improvise given that none have been carrying an umbrella for weeks (photo: Pixabay)
It hadn’t rained anywhere in Denmark since May 23, but nearly three and a half weeks later, a few spots fell overnight across isolated parts of the country, bringing a distinct coolness to the morning commute – but nothing significant.
That will come to the capital region late this afternoon, as well as northern Zealand and southern Jutland, but the exact forecasts keep on changing.
Will it be a cloudburst? Will there be thunder and lightning? It’s unclear. Forecasters can only be sure it will not arrive until 17:00 at the earliest, and that a drop in the temperature will be accompanied by gusty conditions.
Nevertheless, Saturday and Sunday should be pleasant (23-24 degrees), and a long sequence of summer days (25+) are forecast from Tuesday next week.
Shortage of irrigation machines
None of that is particularly good news for farmers battling a 10.0 Drought Index – the absolute maximum rating, which has only been achieved in three years in the last two decades.
Ideally, the farmers need 100 mm to fall, and the most they’ll get over the next week is 10 mm if they’re lucky. Even after today’s rain, there will still be many parts of the country that have not received any precipitation in over three weeks.
This explains why machine manufacturer Fasterholt is reporting unprecedented inquiries about its irrigation equipment, along with highly increased demand for spare parts and its repair services.
But it is bad news for farmers wanting to buy a machine, as the waiting list is long. Due to a major breakdown in production earlier in the year, the earliest farmers can get a new Fasterholt device in 2024.
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