Rainfall

The outlook for October is for river flows to be within the normal range for the majority of the UK; the exception is for Wales where flows are likely to be normal to above normal. Over the three month period to December 2016, river flows are likely to be normal with the exception of the eastern side of Scotland and north east England where flows are likely to be normal to below normal. Groundwater levels are most likely to be normal except for aquifers around the border between England and Scotland where levels are likely to remain above normal.

The outlook for August is for river flows to be normal to above normal in many areas of the UK, particularly in parts of western Britain.  Over the next three months, river flows are more likely to be within the normal range, and normal to above normal in East Anglia.  The outlook for groundwater levels in August is for a continuation of normal to above normal levels across most of the aquifers in the UK.  Groundwater levels are expected to remain above normal over the next three months in some aquifers in northern Britain.

Summary

The latest provisional statistics from the Met Office confirm December has broken records both for rainfall and temperature

The month was not only the wettest December on record, but also the wettest calendar month overall since records* began in 1910, while 2015 is the sixth wettest year on record (dating back to 1910).

Summary