Submitted by Steve Turner on
June was generally a settled month with summery conditions but was punctuated by occasional thunderstorms and heavy rainfall, particularly in the south-east of England. Although rainfall for the UK as a whole was around two-thirds of average, there was a dramatic contrast between drier conditions in the north and west and wet weather in the south-east with corresponding below and above normal river flows, respectively. Elsewhere, flows in a band from the north-east to the south-west of England were generally in the normal range. Soils were drier than average in the majority of regions, with the exception of those in south-east England where soils were wetter than average. Groundwater levels fell as the usual seasonal recession continued and were generally in the normal range or above. Reservoir stocks in some impoundments in northern Britain fell relative to average and ended the month substantially below average – with Daer, Loch Thom and Teesdale around two-thirds of capacity. Long-term precipitation deficits continued in Scotland, where customers have been advised to use water wisely and the water scarcity alert level has been raised in some areas. Given the current water resources situation and current outlooks favouring a continuation of dry conditions (despite a more unsettled start to July), vigilance will be required over the rest of the summer in areas where supplies are dependent on surface water resources.
