A reprieve from drought conditions has delivered more than tank rain for Bermudians, as farmers reap the benefits of more favourable weather.

With the Atlantic hurricane season ramping up, the Bermuda Weather Service said that even though conditions largely mirrored those seen last summer, the revival in precipitation in recent weeks had a big impact on agriculture — depending on its timing and distribution.

Tom Wadson, of Wadson’s Farm, said: “The weather has been great; we’re getting good rain out there now.

“We’ve had a long dry period in June — it was awful as far as weather went.

“But in July it kicked back in again, so we are looking a bit better.”

However, the Southampton farmer was looking ahead in anticipation of a turn in conditions.

He added: “I would think that most farmers are actively applying ourselves to get cracking.

“We need our plants ready for when it hopefully starts raining a bit more in September.”

Greg Wilson, who operates Food Forest, an organic farm in Sandys, agreed that conditions had taken a welcome turn for the better.

He said: “Things have been going well; we’re still growing leafy greens this time of year, which is quite unusual.”

He said he concentrated on building the strength and content of his soils, enabling him to extend the growing season a little further.

Cultivating crops such as lettuce at what is typically the height of a Bermudian summer is usually difficult “because it’s just too hot”, he said.

However, Mr Wilson added: “We practise regenerative farming and that entails using a lot of organic matter.

“So right now, we have lettuce, we have arugula, we have those leafy greens that you usually can’t get in the heat.”

Last August, dry weather conditions scorched the island’s farms as the unrelenting intense heat dried up crops such as watermelons and corn.

Michelle Pitcher, the outgoing director of the Bermuda Weather Service, said this summer’s conditions had so far followed a largely similar course to 2024.

She told The Royal Gazette: “Overall, there is not a vast difference in conditions when one compares this summer with last — though industries dependent on rainfall may be more sensitive to how it is distributed over the year instead of annual totals.

“Also, due to the isolated nature of our showers and thunderstorms, not all parts of the island receive the same amount of rainfall every day.”

Ms Pitcher, who leaves the BWS at the end of this year, said nearly 57 inches of rainfall was recorded annually in Bermuda.

She said that each month the island received three to six inches of rainfall, with the driest months being April and May, while August and October stood out as the wettest months.

Statistically, a comparison of rainfall data recorded between May and July this year compared with the same period in 2024 showed below-monthly averages.

Ms Pitcher noted too that June 2024 had been a wet one while this year the month stood out as distinctly on the dry side.

Using the average monthly totals, she said by the end of July the island usually records 27in of rainfall.

However, this year, 25.74in was recorded while last July, the BWS recorded 27.54in of rain.

Ms Pitcher urged residents to keep a close eye on the Atlantic’s shifting weather conditions in the weeks ahead.

She added: “As the summer winds down, we need to keep an eye on the tropics as we approach the midpoint of the Atlantic hurricane season and the peak months for storms to affect us.”

She said the US National Hurricane Centre's tropical outlook page maintained at least four daily updates on areas of special interest to its forecasters.

The BWS also issues tropical update bulletins on any systems that could affect the island.