Submitted by Amit Kumar on
September was mild and unsettled with a marked spatial variation in rainfall. Parts of England received exceptional rainfall, contrasting with below average conditions in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Total rainfall was twice the average across most of central and southern England, and more than three times the average in some areas. Correspondingly, September average river flows were above normal to exceptionally high across central and southern England, with sustained incursions into the maximum daily flow envelope at month-end. Soils were saturated across most of the UK, particularly in the south. Groundwater levels were in the normal range to exceptionally high, and recharge was observed in a number of sites. Elsewhere, levels either continued to fall or bottomed out, the latter indicating the imminent onset of the recharge season. The October-December Outlook is for normal to above normal river flows and groundwater levels across the UK, with high flows persisting for catchments in southern England. The water resources situation remains healthy with above average reservoir stocks at the national scale. Flood risk remains elevated following a wet start to October and eastern England had already received more than half of the average October rainfall in the first week.
