Total for Edinburgh Gogarbank is currently at just 22.2 mm for this month, so this has been yet another very dry month here although it's not been as dry here this month as it has been in other parts of the country and we have actually had much drier Aprils than this in other recent years, most notably in 2017 when a total of just 3.2 mm of rain was recorded at Edinburgh Gogarbank during the entire month of April.
The most concerning aspect of all of this not so much about the low rainfall totals for this month as it has been about the consistent lack of rainfall for what has now been quite a long time.
To find our last wetter than average season, we have to go all the back to last spring. Last summer was poor, but not all that wet here compared to other poor summers, and even compared to other parts of the UK.
Last autumn was then drier than average, last winter was drier than average and then last month (March) was also drier than average.
SEPA have produced a report on that and on that report, they have noted that some stations such as in Dundee have actually had 9 drier than average months in a row up until now. Because of that, groundwater levels are generally running at average to below average levels and they are concerned that without a significantly wet spring and summer, there is likely to be quite a big water scarcity risk.
On that note, SEPA have already produced their first water scarcity report of the season despite previously stating that the first such report wouldn't be published until May, so the early publication of this first report clearly shows that SEPA are concerned about water scarcity.
This report shows that only the Shetland Isles are at normal levels for water scarcity. Parts of the north of Scotland are already at alert status for water scarcity with the rest of Scotland at early warning status for that.
The north of Edinburgh, usually always missing out on snow events which occur not just within the rest of Scotland or the UK, but also within the rest of Edinburgh.