Images reveal the stark effect dry spell is having on reservoir
IT’S the image that shows the dramatic change to one of Wales’ most popular beauty spots due to the dry spring and current hot spell.
Llwyn-on Reservoir is the largest and southernmost of the three reservoirs in the Taf Fawr valley in South Wales.
Located in the Brecon Beacons National Park, the reservoir is a popular place for people to visit and take in the views.
But it now looks a lot different to normal due to the severe spell of dry weather Wales has experienced in May.
Areas that are normally underwater are now clearly visible.
On Friday, the Met Office confirmed the UK had recorded the sunniest spring since records began in 1929.
Since that year there have been only nine UK springs recording more than 500 hours of sunshine, with the previous sunniest being 555.3 hours in 1948.
However, up to May 27, spring 2020 had already recorded more than 573 hours of sunshine – and that was before the blistering weekend we’ve just experienced.
The weather patterns creating the sunny conditions have also created relatively dry ones too.
Mark McCarthy, from the Met Office’s National Climate Information Centre, said: “Much of spring has been dominated by successive areas of high pressure, leading to sunny and relatively dry conditions.
“In February, the Met Office was reporting record rainfall as Storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge boosted totals, making February 2020 the wettest February on record.
“However, spring 2020 has been very dry.”
It’s fair to say that Wales has had its fair share of dry weather this month.
Temperatures hit 27C on the weekend, with the sunny and dry weather expected to continue into at least the middle of this week.
Today, the Met Office will reveal if any records have been broken as the full provisional climate statistics for May and spring will be released.
Meanwhile, even though the images of places like Llwyn-on Reservoir may alarm some people due to the fact that what’s normally underwater is currently visible, Welsh Water has assured customers there is no current concern regarding water resource levels.
Welsh Water said it is continuing to monitor the situation.
A spokesperson said: “As a responsible water company, we are committed to ensuring that we do all we can to protect our water resources to ensure that we maintain water supplies customers at all times.
“This is particularly the case during the Covid-19 outbreak, where we’re continuing to do essential work in our communities to enable customers to follow public health and hygiene advice so that they can protect themselves and others.
“At this stage, we do not have concerns about our water resource levels – but given the recent dry and hot weather, we are monitoring the situation to ensure that, if this weather persists, we are able to manage our network to maintain water supplies.
“We also – as always – ask customers to use the water they need, particularly to ensure they remain safe and healthy, but not to waste any water.”