Water scarcity report - 14 August 2025
The Deveron, Ythan, Don (Aberdeenshire), Esk, Firth of Tay and Tyne (Lothian) catchments remain at Moderate Water Scarcity.
The Findhorn, Spey, Dee (Aberdeenshire) and Firth of Forth catchments remain at Alert and the Almond and Tweed catchments have been raised to Alert.
The Orkney, Thurso and Clyde catchments have been raised to Early Warning.
The rest of the country remains at Early Warning or Normal Conditions.
Situation summary
Over the past week, rainfall across the country has been intermittent, with the most persistent rainfall in northwest and western Scotland. However, the heaviest rain occurred in areas not currently affected by water scarcity.
Eastern areas received lighter, patchier rain that did not support any recovery, and eastern catchments continue to experience very low flows. These low flow conditions have been especially persistent in Fife and north Aberdeenshire catchments. The Almond and Tweed catchments have been raised to Alert as ground conditions continue to dry out.
In the Orkney, Thurso and Clyde catchments, recent rainfall has not been sufficient to prevent drying ground conditions, and therefore these catchments have been raised to Early Warning.
The rest of the country remains at Early Warning or Normal conditions.
What do the map colours mean?
| Normal conditions | Early warning | Alert | Moderate scarcity | Significant scarcity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | Green | Yellow | Orange | Red |
Water scarcity area descriptions
Weather Forecast
Thundery showers, most likely over higher ground in the east or northeast will die out through Thursday evening. A weak front moves south Friday bringing some patchy light drizzle, mainly in the northwest. Chance of a few light afternoon showers in the east. Turning dry over the weekend as high pressure builds. Chance of a few showers in the west on Monday.
Advice for water users
We advise water users, including those with private water supplies, to be aware of the potential risk of water scarcity this summer, and for businesses to plan ahead where possible. Advice for abstractors and irrigators.
Supporting information
This section goes into more detail on the data behind the water scarcity levels.
Rainfall and river flows
These maps show rainfall and river flows relative to the long-term average, for this time of year, over 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months.
Rainfall over the past month shows mostly normal conditions across Scotland, with wet conditions in parts of the north and north-west. Some central and eastern areas remain quite dry to dry. River flows continue to show an east–west contrast, with eastern catchments at low to extremely low levels and western areas ranging from quite low to very high. Parts of the north, west and south have normal flows.
Over the last three months, rainfall shows an east–west split. The north-west, west and south have shown normal to very wet conditions. The north-east remains quite dry to very dry, while the south-east shows normal to dry conditions. River flows are low to extremely low in the east, and elsewhere normal to very high.
Over the last six months, the east and south have been dry to extremely dry for rainfall. The north-west shows normal conditions. There is a slight recovery in the Outer Hebrides and some central and southern areas. River flows remain low to extremely low, except in the west and Outer Hebrides where they are at normal conditions. Shetland now shows high flows.
What do the map colours mean?
| Rainfall | Extremely dry | Very dry | Dry | Quite dry | Normal conditions | Wet | Very wet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River flow | Extremely low | Very low | Low | Quite low | Normal conditions | High | Very high |
| Red | Orange | Light orange | Yellow | Green | Light blue | Dark blue |
Soil moisture deficit
This map shows this week’s soil moisture deficit. This is obtained from the Met Office Rainfall and Evaporation Calculation System (MORECS). Ground conditions across the east are mostly very dry. In the west, though, there is generally no deficit.
What do the map colours mean?
| Extremely dry | Very dry | Dry | Quite dry | No deficit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red | Orange | Light orange | Yellow | Green |
Natural water storage – groundwater and loch levels
In each river catchment there is some degree of natural water storage, which can maintain river flows even when it is not raining. This natural water storage is mainly held in lochs and groundwater. When storage has been depleted it will take a lot of rainfall for levels to recover.
The maps below show recent groundwater and loch level compared to the long-term record at each individual station. Level is reported as high or low compared to the typical (‘normal’) level range for the time of year.
Level ranges are specific to each station and based on the long-term (minimum 10 years) record of mean monthly level values recorded at individual stations.
Despite the recent rainfall, due to the lack of recharge over the autumn and winter, groundwater levels across most of the country remain low to very low for the time of year.
Locations in Fife have recorded their lowest levels for July on record. In its 28-year record the Newton of Falkland borehole has only recorded levels this low once before, in July to October 2006, and Scotlandwell recorded its lowest July level in its 27-year record. Boreholes in the Ythan catchment in Aberdeenshire are also close to or at the lowest levels previously seen in July.
Without significant rainfall, groundwater levels are expected to continue to fall over the summer.
July average loch levels are low in the northeast of Scotland with levels elsewhere between normal and very high.
What do the map colours mean?
| Very high | High | Normal range | Low | Very low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dark blue | Light blue | Light green | Light orange | Dark orange |
Flow, rainfall and groundwater data are accessed via SEPA's time series data service (API). SEPA's live data are subject to ongoing quality control and periodic review.
Scottish Water are responsible for public water supply and distribution in Scotland. Scottish Water reports on the raw water stored in these supplies.
Report copyright
- Current water scarcity levels - © SEPA. Some features of this information are based on digital spatial data licensed from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology © NERC (CEH). Contains OS data © Crown copyright (and database right).
- Areas of significant water scarcity - OS Data - © Crown Copyright - SEPA licence number 100016991 (2022)
- Rainfall, river flow, groundwater and loch levels - Base map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
- Soil moisture deficit - Data based on MORECS (Met Office © Crown Copyright). Some features of this information are based on digital spatial data licensed from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology © NERC (CEH). Contains OS data © Crown copyright (and database right). Base map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
- Weather forecast - Crown copyright [2022], Met Office