How full are the UK's reservoirs and rivers?
Months of dry weather putting pressure on UK water resources
What’s going on?
In recent weeks, it has been announced that millions of people will be covered by hose pipe bans, following a very dry spring across the UK. For England, it was the driest spring in over a century.
Western parts of the UK had a wetter than average June, but for much of central, southern and eastern England, the dry weather has persisted.
What about the rivers?
At the end of June, according to the latest hydrological report, there was a marked difference in river flows across the UK - shown below.
Generally, water flowing through rivers was normal or above in western areas, but below normal to exceptionally low in the east - mirroring June rainfall.
How full are reservoirs?
The latest hydrological report also included a snapshot from a selection of UK reservoirs at the end of June, shown below. The majority of reservoirs have below average levels - some significantly so, by around 20%.
Welcome rain this weekend?
There are growing signs that southern and eastern parts of the UK could see some substantial rain this weekend, as low pressure becomes slow-moving.
Showers or longer spells of rain and thunderstorms will drift northwards, with a decent chance of 10-20mm of rain widely and as much as 50-70mm locally. This won’t be enough to offset the rainfall deficit, but enough to put a dent in it for some areas.
I hope you’re enjoying my posts. If you’re not already a subscriber, feel free to do so below. If you know someone who would find this interesting, shares are thankfully appreciated.
What a great Substack to find! I’m a bit obsessed by the weather so very much like this, thank you.
At the Elan Valley this weekend all the central reservoirs are well below normal levels