Submitted by Steve Turner on
After the first week, June was a month dominated by unsettled conditions with localised thundery showers bringing substantial rainfall. For the UK as a whole, rainfall was above average, particularly so in parts of south-east England, the Midlands and eastern Scotland. In contrast, below average rainfall was mainly confined to western Scotland. In response to the wet June, soil moisture deficits decreased and were below average in the vast majority of regions in the UK; June deficits were the second lowest (behind 2012) for the Chalk outcrop, in a series from 1961. Average river flows for June were generally in the normal range or above, with below normal flows confined to some north-western catchments. Flows were notably high, and in some catchments exceptionally so, across much of the English Lowlands and in parts of north-east Scotland. Groundwater levels followed their seasonal recessions at almost all index sites, but generally remained in the normal range or above. Despite the above average rainfall, stocks in the majority of reservoirs fell during June, with large decreases in some western impoundments. However, for England and Wales overall reservoir stocks remain slightly above average. With normal to above normal groundwater levels across the main aquifers and healthy reservoir stocks, the water resources outlook for the rest of the summer remains healthy.
You can read the full report here.
