Lake District rivers remain 'exceptionally low' despite June week of stormy weather

Despite the recent thunderstorms causing a surge in England's rainfall levels, parts of Cumbria are still grappling with "exceptionally low" river levels. Environment Agency data indicates that around 11% of the monitored river sites across England continue to be categorised as "below normal".

Over the past week, the widespread storms have served to quench much of England's lands, contributing more than half of June's rainfall in numerous regions. North-east England, for instance, has seen 35mm of rain this month, comprising 57% of June's long-term average, with 32mm, or 52%, of that total falling within the week to June 20.

Similarly, North-west England has accumulated 62% of its usual June rainfall, whereas central England has exceeded this, reaching 81% of its average. South-east England has experienced 59% of its average rainfall, with figures for south-west England and eastern England standing at 48% and 45%, respectively.

From June 1 to 20, the total rainfall across England stood at 35mm, corresponding to 58% of the long-term average. Last month, however, England recorded only 65% of its average rainfall, even though the cumulative figure for the three months from March to May was above average, at 121%.

A silver lining to these recent storms is the much-needed hydration they've provided to gardens and farmland, and the boost they've given to rivers, reservoirs, and streams. Remarkably, a quarter of the sites monitored by the Environment Agency are currently classified as “notably high”, with locations spanning from the Weaver in Cheshire and the Don in South Yorkshire, to the Itchen in Hampshire and Kenwyn in Cornwall.

But in parts of Cumbria, particularly in areas surrounding the Derwent and Eamont rivers, river