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Hydrology Summary Bulletin – September 2026

Hydrology bulletin on rainfall, river flows, lake levels, groundwater levels and spring outflows for September 2026

September 2026 was warmer than average across Ireland, particularly in the east. The month was also wetter and duller, with frequent rain and showers. Weather conditions were mainly influenced by low pressure to the north and high pressure to the south, creating a mild Atlantic airflow from the south and west. While brief dry spells occurred when high pressure extended northwards,
periods of heavy rain were brought by active weather fronts moving in from the Atlantic. Heavy rain fell on Sunday 27th in the south and east. A storm passed Ireland well to the west on Tuesday 29th moving north but still brought widespread rain and strong winds along with a very warm tropical maritime airmass.

Compared to August, average river flows increased at 93% of monitoring stations assessed; however, 49% of the monthly average river flows remained below the long-term normal range. Lake and turlough levels also increased at 73% of monitored sites, with 64% below the long-term normal range. Groundwater levels increased at 68% monitoring locations with 66% remaining below the long-term normal range. Of the five spring flows monitored, 4 were ‘below normal’ and1 was in the ‘particularly low’ range.

Download and read the full Hydrology Bulletin for September 2026 here.

About EPA Monthly Hydrology Bulletin: Monthly Hydrology Bulletin – Catchments.ie – Catchments.ie

Access previous EPA monthly Hydrology Bulletins here: Monitoring & Assessment: Freshwater & Marine Publications | Environmental Protection Agency

About author

EPA Catchments Unit

Administrator

The EPA Catchments Unit is based in Dublin, and the team is involved with catchment science, chemistry, ecology, hydromorphology, modelling, Geographic Information Systems and planning. We work with the wider EPA, all of our local authorities, the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and other public bodies and Departments to ensure we have the best available data and information about our catchments.

Who is involved?
Quite simply, everyone in Ireland has a role to play. This can be from something as simple as making sure you don’t pollute your local stream, or a local community working together to establish a Rivers Trust to enhance the rivers and lakes in their area, to a Government Department or Agency helping a Minister implement a new policy to help protect and enhance all our water bodies.

This website has been developed and is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and is a collaboration between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the River Basin Management Service.

River Basin Management Service

The River Basin Management Service coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, and supports local community and stakeholder involvement in managing our natural waters, for everyone’s benefit.

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4,842 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives for each.

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Department is responsible for making sure that the right policies, regulations and resources are in place to implement the Water Framework Directive, and developing a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures to protect and restore our waters.