Be careful what you wish for. Britain’s seesaw rainfall patterns that began last winter have continued, with an on-off pattern of dry and then wet months for many areas.
In the south of England, last year’s drought was still affecting parts of the UK in early December, with stores of water in reservoirs and groundwater lower than usual. Seemingly endless rain followed over Christmas and January, before one of the driest Februaries on record led to renewed warnings of drought.
Hydrologists like me were pointing to low stocks of water in aquifers and rivers, raising our eyebrows and sucking our teeth like car mechanics faced with a blown gasket. We need rain, we said, or reservoirs will dry up, crops will fail, and restrictions on how much water people can use, like hosepipe bans, may be necessary.
