Submitted by Katie Muchan on
June was characterised by unsettled, and at times thundery, conditions. Rainfall for the UK as a whole was around one and a half times the June average, with only southern and eastern parts of England and Scotland recording below average rainfall. With the majority of flows starting the month substantially below average, June monthly mean flows were generally in the normal range, although were below normal and above normal across England and the north‑west of the UK, respectively. Soils generally remained drier than normal for the time of year and were the second driest in series from 1961 in the Anglian, Thames and Southern regions, behind 1976. Groundwater levels were mainly within the normal range for June, with notably high levels in some boreholes in central and northern England. Reservoir stocks for England and Wales were around three-quarters of average, and at Ardingly the month-end stocks were the lowest on record for June (from 1988). In contrast, stocks increased in northern and western reservoirs, notably so at Daer where stocks rose by a fifth relative to average. Continued wet weather at the start of July has improved the soil moisture and water resources situation, but the risks of localised water resources pressure and agricultural stress for the coming months remain, particularly if there is a return to predominantly high pressure conditions.
