Yorkshire enters drought after driest spring in 132 years

The Guardian

2 days ago

Yorkshire has become the second area of England to enter drought after the driest spring in 132 years.
Hosepipe bans for the region could be on the horizon if there is not significant rainfall in coming weeks, as, despite recent showers, the reservoir stocks continue to dwindle. Yorkshire Water reservoir stocks dropped 0.51% over the last week to 62.3%, which is significantly below the average (85.5%) for this time of year.
Last month, the north-west of England entered drought status as reservoir levels fell to half their capacity. Much of the rest of the country is in prolonged dry status, which is the step before drought.
Warm and dry weather is forecast, and long-range forecasts suggest a greater-than-normal chance of a hot summer.
Met Office data shows spring 2025 was Yorkshire's warmest spring for mean temperature since records began in 1884.
Dave Kaye, director of water at Yorkshire Water, said: 'We had one of the driest springs on record, which has impacted our reservoir levels, meaning they are much lower than normal for this time of year. Without significant rainfall in the coming months, temporary usage restrictions are a possibility.'
The impacts of drought are already being felt. Hot and dry weather can increase wildfires, and Yorkshire has seen several wildfires on the Pennine moorland, including large fires at Marsden Moor, Wessenden, and Rishworth Moor. Farmers have also reported the beginnings of crop failures.
Navigation has become difficult on canals and some rivers in the region due to low water levels, and there are a number of closures and restrictions in place to preserve water across the Canal & River Trust network, predominantly on the Leeds & Liverpool canal.
People across England have been asked to conserve water as summer begins amid low river flows, groundwater levels and reservoir levels.
Claire Barrow, the Environment Agency's planning manager for Yorkshire, said: 'Our climate is changing, and we had 22 days of almost no recorded rainfall in May.
'While we have had some rain at the start of June, it has not been enough to reverse the impacts of the prolonged dry weather.
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'We are working with Yorkshire Water to make sure they enact their drought plans. We also encourage people to be aware of the environmental impacts of droughts as we enter the summer period and note the small steps we can all take to save water.'
Climate breakdown will make droughts more likely, scientists have said, as rainfall becomes less predictable.
There have not been any major reservoirs built in England for more than 30 years, but the government has announced that it has approved two to begin construction.
The Guardian reported recently that to avert a drought there would need to be rainfall at levels last seen in 2012, when record-breaking deluges caused floods across the country. This does not look likely, with hot, dry weather ahead.