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Hydrology Summary Bulletin – January 2026

Hydrology Summary Bulletin outlining the flows in rivers, rainfall, lake and turlough levels, groundwater levels and spring outflows of over 300 stations across Ireland for the month of January, 2026.

January 2026 began cold and mostly dry, with spells of crisp winter sunshine and widespread frost at night. During the second half of January, a strong southerly displaced North Atlantic jet stream directed a succession of low-pressure systems toward the country from the southwest. Repeated frontal rainbands moved up from the south, giving prolonged spells of heavy rain, concentrated over the south and east of the country. The cumulative effect of the prolonged wet spell for the south and east caused significant flooding in places. A notable event during this period was Storm Chandra, named by the UK Met Office, which rapidly deepened to the south of Ireland on Monday 26th. As it tracked north late on the 26th into Tuesday 27th, it brought strong winds and widespread heavy rainfall. The month finished with further bands of rain or showers, mainly affecting the south and east.

River flows in January mirrored rainfall patterns with particularly high river flows recorded in the east and southeast of the country. Elsewhere, river flows generally decreased when compared to December 2025. Similarly, lake levels decreased at 90% of lake sites monitored with only 6% above the long-term normal range. Groundwater levels decreased at 82% of the monitoring sites with 33% above the long-term range. Out of the five spring flows monitored, 4 were in the ‘normal’ range and 1 was ‘below normal’.

Download and read the full Hydrology bulletin for January 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

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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.

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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.