United Kingdom

Provisional data suggest that the June rainfall exceeded the previous maximum (in a series from 1914) by a wide margin across a large swathe of the Midlands and northern England – where, in Yorkshire, the highest rainfall on record for any month was recorded. This triggered flooding on a scale that has no close modern parallel for the summer period (June-Aug). Exceptionally intense storm events caused severe flash flooding in many areas and, as catchments became saturated, significant floodplain inundations were reported for several major river basins. A number of fatalities were attributed to the flooding, emergency services were widely deployed and transport disruption was severe, widespread and sustained. The cost of the flooding to insurers has been estimated at £1.5 billion. Many new maximum June river flows were established and some rivers in North East and Midlands registered period-of-record maximum flows for any month. Monthly runoff totals were outstanding across northern England and the Midlands. The extreme rainfall, together with below average evaporation losses and moderate water demand ensure that, notwithstanding drawdown for flood alleviation purposes, overall reservoir stocks for England and Wales are well above the early July average. The sustained late spring and early summer rainfall across most major aquifer outcrop areas has provided a seasonally late pulse of recharge, although given the time taken for the aquifers to respond, most groundwater levels are currently in the normal range. Correspondingly, the water resources outlook is very healthy, but the remarkably wet June has underlined the UK’s vulnerability to extreme rainfall events, particularly where they coincide with concentrations of population.