Hydrological Summary for April 2022 Published

Following an unsettled start with some wintry showers, settled conditions dominated April, bringing widespread warm and dry weather for most.  The UK received around two-thirds of the average rainfall for the month in all areas except for northern Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland.  Despite a peak at the start of the month, river flows across much of the country continued recessions established in March, with much of the country experiencing below normal flows, most notably in south-west England, Wales, and central Scotland. With soil moisture deficits (SMDs) increasing in all areas except for north-east Scotland, groundwater levels receded in all aquifers except within a few slow responding Chalk boreholes. Monthly groundwater levels were generally in the normal range or below.  Reservoir stocks at the national scale fell to marginally below average for April.  As evaporation rates increase, and with Outlooks favouring near-average rainfall over the next three months, below-normal groundwater levels are likely to persist through the summer in many areas, particularly in the Carboniferous Limestone of south Wales and the Chalk. 

Read the Hydrological Summary