Water scarcity report - 15 May 2025
The river catchments of the Deveron, Ythan, Don (Aberdeenshire), Dee (Aberdeen), Esk, Firth of Tay, Firth of Forth, Almond, Tyne (Lothian), Tweed, and Esk (Dumfriesshire) have been raised to Moderate Scarcity.
The river catchments of the Wick, Helmsdale, Beauly, Ness, Findhorn, Tay, Earn, Forth, Leven (Dunbartonshire), Firth of Clyde, Loch Fyne, Argyll Coast, Awe and Etive, Loch Linnhe, Lochy (Invernessshire), Loch Shiel, Loch Alsh, Loch Maree, Northwest Highlands, Kintyre, Orkney, and Shetland have been raised to Alert.
Most of the rest of the country remains at Alert, except the Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides which are at Early Warning.
Situation summary
As the weather has continued to be very dry this week, river levels are very low and falling across most of Scotland and ground conditions have dried out further.
Many river catchments in the east are particularly dry with the river catchments of the Deveron, Ythan, Don (Aberdeenshire), Dee (Aberdeen), Esk, Firth of Tay, Firth of Forth, Almond, Tyne (Lothian), Tweed, and Esk (Dumfriesshire) raised to Moderate Scarcity. This follows on from a drier than normal autumn and winter with some areas of the east now having 11 months of below average rainfall. Due to the lack of recharge over winter, groundwater levels, at our monitoring points, were the lowest April average level on record for Fife and Angus. For example, Newton of Falkland is at its lowest level for this time of year in its 28-year record. Elsewhere in the east, groundwater levels are lower than we would normally expect for this early in the year. Without significant rainfall, levels will continue to fall over summer. Currently some parts of Fife have not received rainfall for nearly 4 weeks. Soil moisture deficits are continuing to increase, and soils are becoming drier than would be expected for the time of year. Flows are becoming more impacted by the lack of rainfall now. 2025 is only the second time in a 97-year record when flows on the Dee (Aberdeenshire) have been so low so early in the year. The last time was 1938. Most low flows on the Dee occur in July, August and September.
Conditions are also dry across the rest of the country with the river catchments of the Wick, Helmsdale, Beauly, Ness, Findhorn, Tay, Earn, Forth, Leven (Dunbartonshire), Firth of Clyde, Loch Fyne, Argyll Coast, Awe and Etive, Loch Linnhe, Lochy (Invernessshire), Loch Shiel, Loch Alsh, Loch Maree, Northwest Highlands, Kintyre, Orkney, and Shetland raised to Alert.
There has been no recovery elsewhere and most of Scotland is now at Alert or Moderate Scarcity except for the Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides which are at Early Warning.
With no significant rainfall currently forecast, it is likely that river and ground conditions will remain very dry over the next week.
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
Mostly dry over the next 5 days with only a few outbreaks of drizzle possible near eastern coasts over the weekend. High confidence in dry and settled conditions over the next 5 days.
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.
Over the past month rainfall conditions have been dry across much of the east and north, with quite dry conditions across most of the south of the country. River flows are very low across the country, with extremely low flows widespread across the east and north.
Over the last 3 months, the south, north and east of the country have been extremely dry with other areas mostly very dry. This is reflected in the very low to extremely low river flows across the country.
Conditions are more mixed over the past 6 months. The north of the country has generally seen normal conditions and river flows between normal and low, though the far north-east has been dry with low flows. The south and east however, have experienced widespread very dry conditions, with some parts being extremely dry. This is shown in the very low to extremely low river flows across the south.
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 are dry across the south and most of the east coast. The rest of the country is quite dry.
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.
Based on the April average, groundwater levels across the country remain generally low to very low for the time of year. This is due to significantly lower than average rainfall in recent months resulting in limited recharge over the winter and spring periods. Levels are particularly low across the east of the country and are lower than the same period in 2022. Groundwater levels in the Moray area remain normal or above.
Based on the April average, loch levels, from our monitoring points, are very low for this time of year across the far north, with levels elsewhere variable between normal and very low for the time of year.
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