Warmer, wetter, wilder, winter weather

Local farmers will have to change farming practices in order to face the challenges of wetter winter and drier summer soils.An environmental report published this week warns that the midlands can expect the weather to get much wetter over the next forty years, with flooding becoming a regular occurrence rather than the once in a decade phenomenon it is now.The report, published by the Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA), clearly indicates that the greatest winter rainfall increases are expected to occur in the midlands, with winter rainfall projected to increase by 10 per cent. This will be coupled with considerable reductions in summer rainfall, of 12 to 17 percent 0.Within four decades, the island of Ireland will be experiencing serious winter flooding and summers blighted by drought.The (EPA) is warning that everyone will have to adapt to the dire consequences of this inevitable climate change. The report published by the EPA also projects significant changes in Ireland"s climate over the next forty years with average temperatures going up by 1.4 degrees by 2050. The summer and autumn seasons will warm faster than winter and spring, with the midlands and east warming more than coastal areas.The changes in the frequency of extreme events will accompany these climate changes. This means that longer heat waves and drought may occur, which will be especially important for eastern and southern parts of Ireland, the report states.