May was showery and changeable through its first three weeks but was ultimately defined by an exceptional period of heat in the last 10 days. It was the joint seventh warmest May in the Central England Temperature series (from 1659) and a new May and spring temperature record was set at Kew Gardens on the 26th (35.1oC). At the national scale, UK rainfall was around three-quarters of average (78%). Soil Moisture Deficits (SMDs) climbed across almost all regions, and soils were the fourth driest May on record for England & Wales (in a series from 1961). Correspondingly, river flows were in the normal range to exceptionally low across most of the UK. Groundwater levels generally continued to decline with levels in the normal range to below. Reservoir stocks for England & Wales remained near-average, though stocks in some impoundments and groups dropped almost 10% relative to average, including Loch Katrine, Northern Command Zone and Wimbleball. May concludes another notably dry spring across large parts of England and Wales, demonstrating once again the pivotal role that the season can have for water resource prospects – although deficits are far less acute or widespread than in 2025, and current reservoir stocks and groundwater levels contribute to a healthier water resource position. A wet start to June has ameliorated immediate drought concerns at the start of the summer. However, forecasts suggest a drier, more settled end to June, and the latest Hydrological Outlook suggests that river flows in central and southern England are likely to be below normal over the summer as a whole.