Rainfall

The outlook for May suggests normal river flows are likely in northern Britain, and normal to below-normal flows further south. This reflects the notably low April rainfall across England and Wales, with less than half the monthly average received in most areas; however, early May has been very wet in all regions, which decreases the likelihood of very low flows and increases the chances of above-normal flows in the north. The groundwater outlook is for a similar picture to April, with mostly normal and below-normal levels.

Considered at the national scale, weather conditions in February (although exceptionally sunny) were typical of the late winter but the spatial and temporal variations in rainfall amounts were substantial – reflecting the preferred paths taken by the rain-bearing frontal systems. Generally river flows continued their late January recessions during early February with frozen catchments contributing to relatively depressed flow rates.

November was a damp and dull month, the dullest November since 2004 for the UK. Temperatures were mild for the time of year, particularly during the first half of the month, contributing to mean January-November temperatures that rank 2014 as the warmest on record for the Central England Temperature series back to 1659.

The Hydrological Summary is available here.