# England reservoirs remain under strain after sixth dry month

> The Environment Agency said on 2 October that reservoirs across England were 55% full, against a usual seasonal level of 74.3%. Drought continues in southern and central England.

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- Publisher: Newsverum
- Section: Climate
- Country: United Kingdom
- Published: 2026-10-04T14:04:24+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-07T05:57:24+03:00
- Event / data period: 2026-10-01
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The agency's report for 25 September to 1 October said September rainfall was 65% of the long-term average. Sixteen reservoirs or reservoir groups were less than half full, and six were classed as exceptionally low.

Ardingly and Wimbleball reservoirs were at 23% and 21% on 28 September. The agency said rainfall equal to 120% of average over the next seven months would be needed for the country to leave drought by next spring; that is a stated recovery condition, not a forecast.

## Data

### England drought indicators

Weekly rainfall and reservoir figures reported by the Environment Agency on 2 October.

Methodology: Periods and comparison bases follow the source. The 120% average-rainfall figure is a stated recovery condition, not an observed measurement.

| label | value | unit | period | basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England reservoir storage, week ending 1 October | 55 | percent | 2026-10-01 | observed |
| Usual seasonal storage expectation | 74.3 | percent | 2026-10 | estimate |
| Ardingly, 28 September | 23 | percent | 2026-09-28 | observed |
| Wimbleball, 28 September | 21 | percent | 2026-09-28 | observed |
| September rainfall as share of long-term average | 65 | percent | 2026-09 | observed |

Sources: <https://www.gov.uk/government/news/englands-reservoirs-continue-to-feel-drought-strain-after-sixth-dry-month-of-2026> · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/england-reservoirs-drought-strain-sixth-dry-month-october-2026/data/england-drought-indicators?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/england-reservoirs-drought-strain-sixth-dry-month-october-2026/data/england-drought-indicators?lang=en&format=csv)

## Sources

- [UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Environment Agency](<https://www.gov.uk/government/news/englands-reservoirs-continue-to-feel-drought-strain-after-sixth-dry-month-of-2026>) (Source checked: 2026-10-04; Published: 2026-10-02)

## Correction history

- 2026-10-07T00:53:49+03:00: German and Portuguese editions and translations of the data and correction explanations have been added to this article.
- 2026-10-07T05:57:24+03:00: Data classification corrected: measure identifiers and types now follow the dataset rules. No figure, unit or date changed.

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