Submitted by Rachael Armitage on
June – provisionally the warmest June on record for the UK (in a series from 1884) – was a month of two halves – the first, notable for dry weather incidents such as wildfires and fish rescues and the second, localised heavy rainfall and surface water flooding. River flows were generally in the normal range to exceptionally low, with a number of new June minima established in Scotland. High temperatures limited the effectiveness of rainfall and soils were drier than average in all regions at month-end. The mixed groundwater situation of recent months persisted, with seasonally high levels in the southern Chalk. In other aquifers, levels were in the normal range in the majority of the Permo Triassic aquifers and below normal across parts of Scotland, Wales and central England. Reservoir stocks were 81% of average for England & Wales, and although stocks at several impoundments across the UK remained substantially below average (e.g. Daer, South Lanarkshire, was 21% below average, setting a new June minimum in a series from 1994), stocks generally increased relative to average. The latest Hydrological Outlook suggests that river flows are likely to continue to be below normal over the coming months, meaning that continued vigilance is required in areas away from the south-east where flows are still bolstered by the wet spring. However, wet weather at the start of July has alleviated immediate concerns and pressures on the environment and agricultural sector.
