Back in August of last year the sight of a parched Lake Vyrnwy in the hills about an hour from where I live was a posterboy for those predicting more and more droughts thanks to man made global warming. As someone who remembers my local reservoir drying up in 1976 but refilling very quickly the next year I thought that this was media bull at the time and with data from United Utilities and a site visit I have demonstrated a number of times that I was right and the MSM was talking GroupThink cock. But the mainstream media has not apologised, indeed over at the Guardian they have doubled down.
The Guardian’s environment reporter Helena Horton issued a headline warning on March 13 that UK river levels were going to be “devastated” by a dry spring – as you can see HERE. To be fair February was very dry indeed in both England and Wales. But as you have noticed from almost the first day of March it has been raining almost non stop. Around here the rive Dee has flooded covering our fields and part of the garden with water. I wonder if Helena ever looks out of the window for by the 13th she must have noticed how much rain had been falling.
Indeed even before another day of rain on the 31st, the Met Office had already stated that March was the wettest March for 40 years. So what of the reservoir levels here in North Wales and in the North West region, 1200 bodies of water managed by United Utilities?
Across those 1200 bodies of water the average capacity as at last Sunday was 93.3%. That compares to a long term average of 93.5% and 91.5% last year. That is hardly an indication of a region heading rapidly into a new era of drought is it. Here in North Wales the reservoirs at Vyrnwy and on the Dee (mainly Llyn Tegid or Bala Lake) are standing at 91.4% capacity down from 92.9% last year and a long term average of 97.5%.
However, capacity levels increased by 1.4% in the week up to Sunday and, as I stare at a rising river, I am conscious that it has rained every day this week so the next recording should be that bit higher. Again, having ones reservoirs in North Wales 91.4% full and rising) is hardly an indication of the beginning of a long drought or parched rivers is it?