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Storm Amy boosts river levels but north-east pressures remain

While Storm Amy helped restore river levels and soil moisture in many areas, rainfall totals varied sharply from west to east. Around 300 mm fell on Skye compared with just 17 mm in the Lower Spey. 

The River Avon and Lower Spey, along with parts of the Ythan, remain at Significant Scarcity due to continued low flows. Moderate Scarcity persists in the South Ugie Water within the wider Ythan catchment, the Deveron, and the rest of the Spey.

The Upper and Lower Don in Aberdeenshire, the Findhorn, Firth of Tay, Tyne (Lothian) and Orkney have improved from higher levels to Alert. 

Catchments including Thurso, Wick, Helmsdale, Shin, Conon, Dee (Aberdeen), Firth of Forth, Annan and Tweed are now at Early Warning or Normal Conditions.

While the west of Scotland has largely returned to normal, the north-east remains vulnerable and could deteriorate again if dry weather returns. Groundwater levels in the north-east remain very low for the time of year, with some monitoring sites at their lowest levels in 17 years of records.

Above-average rainfall through autumn and winter will be essential to reverse the deficits built up over 2025 and to replenish groundwater and river systems. 

Eilidh Johnston, SEPA’s Senior Manager in Water Industry and Rural Economy, said:  

“Storm Amy has brought welcome improvements in several areas, but parts of the north-east remain at Significant Scarcity and restrictions on abstraction licences are still in place where required. 

“This year has shown how quickly conditions can change, and how long-term and widespread the impacts can be when water resources come under pressure. As river levels begin to recover in different parts of the country, it’s 
important we don’t forget that there are still areas of the country where our rivers are still under stress. 

“Conditions over the winter will have an impact on conditions next year, so I would urge those in areas that have recovered not to lose the momentum built up over the summer. Water is a precious resource, and building long-term resilience will be vital for Scotland’s environment, communities and businesses. We need to learn from this year and plan for how we use and value water in 2026 and beyond.”

Notes to editors

Water scarcity levels

• Early Warning: Conditions are drying. No action required, but abstractors should start preparing. 
• Alert: Water levels are falling. SEPA advises voluntary reductions in non-essential water use for abstractors. 
• Moderate Scarcity: Environmental impact is clear. Action from abstractors is expected to protect rivers and the species that rely on them. 
• Significant Scarcity: Critical river levels. Restrictions on abstraction licences may be imposed.

Data sources

• SEPA Water Scarcity situation report - 9th October 2025
• SEPA’s river level network - Find Scottish water levels information
• Rainfall data for Scotland - Scottish Rainfall Data
• DRAT - Water scarcity data - provided by Scottish Environment Protection Agency 

DRAT stations, Q95 and Significant Scarcity

Anyone can track conditions via SEPA’s Drought Risk Assessment Tool (DRAT), which shows colour-coded stations across Scotland and how close they are to Significant Scarcity.  

Clicking on an individual station will show how many days it has been below Q95, a recognised low flow threshold. When a station reaches 30 days the catchments linked to the station will be moved to Significant Scarcity, and SEPA will move to impose any restrictions required.     

DRAT is a network of flow gauging stations that SEPA monitor across Scotland and are used to set significant water scarcity when flows have been low for a sustained period of time.  

Data has been collected at these stations for a long period of time, so this allows us to give context to what is currently happening with the amount of flow in rivers relative to what you would normally expect.  

The river flow stations are each used as a representation of the conditions over an area, called a significant water scarcity area. The area and representative gauging stations are displayed on the tool. 

Each station may represent a single river or a group of catchments. For this reason, the number of DRAT stations and areas at Significant Scarcity may be different. 

Further support and useful links

The National Water Scarcity Plan explains how water resources will be managed prior to and during periods of prolonged dry weather. This is to ensure the correct balance is struck between protecting the environment and providing resource for human and economic activity. 

Report dry private water supplies and rivers and burns in your area to help SEPA assess water scarcity stress. 

All water abstractors should be aware of the risk of water scarcity, monitor their water use, and plan ahead for a range of weather conditions. Find further advice for abstractors and irrigators on our website.