Wet autumn will help reservoir levels recover after dry summer

Forecaster says water usage is currently higher than rainfall, but that will change

Wet conditions this autumn should help the Island's reservoir levels recover after a dry summer.

That's from a forecaster at Ronaldsway Met Office, who's been looking at the conditions we can expect in the coming months.

A summary of this summer's weather for the Isle of Man published earlier this month confirmed rainfall throughout the season was 28 percent below average.

A 24-day meteorological drought was recorded, which is the fourth longest on summer record for the Island.

At the start of this week, the Island's four reservoirs were at 68 percent combined capacity; the daily average is 87 percent.

As of 14 September, West Baldwin was at 60 percent capacity, Clypse stood at 50 percent, Kerrowdhoo was down to 49 percent and Sulby was 72 percent full.

Manx Utilities currently has no restrictions in place on water usage, but is continuing to ask the public to use water wisely.

Adrian Cowin expects levels to change over the next couple of months:

In a statement issued to Manx Radio, Manx Utilities said: "Reservoir levels have been drawn down over the summer as expected and customer demand remains above average. 

"Reservoir levels are currently below long-term average for this time of year, but Supplies remain secure, and there are currently no restrictions in place. The forecast rainfall will be beneficial and help reservoir stocks.

"As always, we encourage customers to use water wisely and avoid unnecessary wastage, particularly during periods of higher demand."