Could drought hit swathes of Scotland?

Warning to farmers as rainfall levels plunge by up to 30% – and there are more dry spells forecast

SCOTLAND could be heading for a drought after some areas saw a dramatic drop in rainfall over the past few months.

The Met Office said that the eastern half of the country had seen particularly dry weather last month.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said that while water stocks are good in most parts of the country, the North-East needs rain soon if it is to avoid drought conditions as summer approaches.

The agency said Met Office data showed that so far, Aberdeenshire has received only a fraction of its normal rainfall for the month.

Sepa warned: ‘March saw belowaverage rainfall across most of the country. Ground conditions have become noticeably dry in the eastern regions, particularly in the

North-East, where the recent dry weather has followed a relatively dry winter.’

Sepa said that natural groundwater levels usually peak between February and March as melting ice and snow add to rainfall – and by this time of year are starting to drop around the country.

It added: ‘Groundwater levels in Aberdeenshire are currently very low for the time of year. If levels do not recharge over the spring, then this region could be at higher risk of seeing drought conditions.’

The Met Office said there was nothing in the long-range forecast to suggest any prolonged periods of rain are on their way.

Spokesman Nicky Maxey said: ‘Scotland did have quite a wet winter, as a whole, but things have turned relatively dry in the NorthEast this year.

‘Eastern Scotland received just 70 per cent of its normal rainfall in

March. We are halfway through April now and Aberdeenshire has received only 7 per cent of its average of the month.

‘You would expect that figure to be around 50 per cent. There is nothing in the forecast that indicates the region is facing long spells of wet weather.

‘There is the odd weather front expected to push through, but for Scotland there are plenty of dry conditions ahead, right into the beginning of May.’

Andrew Connon, NFU Scotland’s chairman for the North-East, said: ‘Many farmers in the area are beginning to get concerned with the extremely dry weather being predicted for the summer.’

Many parts of Scotland will enjoy sunny and dry conditions over the next few days. Glasgow will record the highest temperature of the week – 15C (59F) – tomorrow.

There could be more cloud on Friday but the weekend promises to be dry, bright and occasionally sunny across the entire country.