North East water situation: May 2026 summary
Updated 11 June 2026
Applies to England
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May was a dry month for the north of the area, with a little more rainfall recorded in the south. May rainfall totals were classed as above normal in the Seaham catchment, below normal in the Tweed catchment, and normal across the rest of the area. Monthly mean river flows decreased across all indicator sites this month falling within the normal, below normal, notably low, and exceptionally low ranges. Soil moisture deficits (SMDs) increased across the area. All reservoirs recorded a decrease in reservoir stocks this month. Groundwater levels fell within the below normal range at Townlaw and above normal at all other indicator sites.
1. Rainfall
Monthly rainfall totals were below the long term average (LTA) across the Tweed, Northumbria North Sea Tribs, and Tyne catchments. Monthly rainfall totals were above the LTA across the Wear, Seaham, and Tees catchments. Monthly totals ranged from 67% of the LTA in the Tweed catchment to 155% of the LTA in the Seaham catchment. Analysis of the daily rainfall totals shows that low rainfall totals were recorded across the area on the first 15 days, with highest totals of the month generally recorded on 19 and 20 May. The remainder of the month was predominantly dry with little or no rainfall recorded on most days.
Cumulative 3 month totals were classed as below normal for the Tweed and Northumbria North Sea Tribs catchments and normal for the rest of the area.
2. Soil moisture deficit and recharge
Soils became drier this month with SMDs increasing across all catchments. The SMD was between 71mm to 100mm in the Seaham catchment and between 41mm and 70mm across all other catchments.
3. River flows
Monthly mean river flows decreased across all indicator sites this month falling within the normal, below normal, notably low, and exceptionally low ranges. Monthly mean flows ranged from 34% of the LTA at Hartford Bridge in the River Blyth catchment to 79% of the LTA at Middleton in Teesdale in the River Tees catchment.
Analysis of daily mean flows shows that flows were in the below normal range across all sites, with the exception of Middleton in Teesdale which fell in the normal range at the beginning of May. Daily mean flows decreased over the first 2 weeks of the month across all sites. A small increase in daily mean flows was recorded on 19 May, particularly at Middleton in Teesdale following a period of rainfall. Following this period, flows decreased steadily towards the end of the month with indicator sites falling within the below normal, notably low, or exceptionally low ranges at the end of May.
4. Groundwater levels
Groundwater levels varied across the area this month. Groundwater levels increased at Aycliffe, Red Lion, and Townlaw. Levels decreased at West Hall Farm and Royalty Observation. Townlaw on the Till Fell Sandstone remains in the below normal banding. All other groundwater sites are classed as above normal for the end of May.
5. Reservoir stocks
All reservoirs recorded a decrease in reservoir stocks this month. The largest decrease was recorded in the Durham group which fell from 92.9% to 77.7% at the end of May. Stocks in the North Tynedale group, Kielder, and Derwent reservoirs remain above average for the time of year. The Durham group, Cow Green, and Lune and Balder group all fell below average for the time of year.
Transfers from the Kielder transfer tunnel to support the stock in Waskerley reservoir in the Durham group began at the end of May.
| Reservoir or reservoir group | Percentage of current stocks | Percentage of previous month stocks |
|---|---|---|
| Kielder | 91.5 | 92.6 |
| North Tynedale group | 81.0 | 88.2 |
| Derwent | 82.8 | 89.4 |
| Durham group | 77.7 | 92.9 |
| Lune and Balder group | 78.5 | 91.5 |
| Cow Green | 83.3 | 95 |
Author: Environment Agency, hydrology.northeast@environment-agency.gov.uk
Contact Details: 020 847 48174
All data are provisional and may be subject to revision. The views expressed in this document are not necessarily those of the Environment Agency. Its officers, servants or agents accept no liability for any loss or damage arising from the interpretation or use of the information, or reliance upon views contained in this report.