Submitted by Rachael Armitage on
January was characterised by a dry period mid-month that was bookended by unsettled conditions with frontal systems bringing wind, snow and heavy rain. Notably, storm ‘Éowyn’, the strongest windstorm to affect the UK in a decade, contributed to unsettled conditions. Rainfall totals were below average for the UK, but this concealed a strong spatial gradient. River flows were above normal in England and Wales and below normal in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Groundwater levels across the UK were generally normal to above normal, although exceptionally high conditions were present across multiple aquifers. Reservoir stocks increased in most impoundments and remained above average at the national scale, with only minor deficits at Daer, Kielder Water and Celyn & Brenig. The current Outlook suggests normal to above normal flows persisting at some catchments in southern England in February and normal to above normal flows and groundwater levels in the north and west over the next three months, maintaining an elevated risk of flooding.
