Rain hits the region hard but water levels at reservoirs in Wales remain stubbornly low
A summer that had periods of no rain for days and weeks on end came to an end in dramatic style with a weekend of rain, wind and even thunder for some.
Yet the reservoirs of mid Wales that supply Shropshire and further afield with its water remain stubbornly low.
It will take much more rain to make a noticeable difference to water levels at the reservoirs at Clywedog near Llanidloes, Llyn Celyn near Bala, Lake Vyrnwy and in the Elan Valley.
Remains of long-flooded villages and bridges can still be seen in some of the reservoirs.
Severn Trent says that, taking its area as a whole, its reservoirs are only 43 per cent full, down from 96 per cent at the beginning of the year.
However the levels are just beginning to rise after falling to the lowest point this year at the end of September.
A spokesperson for Welsh Water said: "Wales has had the joint driest year on record, drier than 1976, and in September only saw 50 per cent of the long-term average rainfall. That is why we continue to remind customers to avoid wasting water as this will help all of our reservoirs refill more quickly and have the best chance of being full ready for next summer."
Weather reports said the weekend's rain was the most rainfall the region had seen in a month and the Met Office said there were around 40,000 lightning strikes across the UK on Sunday.
Dave Throup, formerly of the Environment Agency, said Sunday morning’s deluge saw 20-30mm of rain fall in a narrow band from southern England through the south Midlands.
He said 25-50 per cent of October’s average total rainfall fell in just a few hours.
The Met Office has warned that the West Midlands will see further showers, with stronger winds and rain due to set in overnight, and the weather is expected to remain unsettled in the coming days.
Shropshire escaped major flooding problems at the weekend, though a motorway slip road was closed for about two hours on Sunday because of flooding. Drivers had to be diverted away from the westbound exit at Junction 6, the Wellington turn-off of the M54. Police closed the road for just over two hours.
Weather warnings had been in place for the West Midlands throughout Sunday and into the early hours of Monday, with warnings of difficult driving conditions.
Sections of the M6 and M5 were hit and trains and trams in the region were also affected.
The outlook for Shropshire for the rest of the week is for much dryer conditions but mostly cloudy.
However, with winds coming across the Atlantic, temperatures will remain unseasonably high.
