Why most of Scotland's '100 words for rain' may soon be redundant

A dry autumn and winter, followed by a dry start to spring, have prompted an early warning about water scarcity

It is sometimes said that there are 100 different words for rain in Scotland, from smirr to goselet and yillen. And while this total may be exaggerated, it is fair to say this country is well known for being rather wet or indeed, as Scots might say, dreich.

And so for the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) to issue an “early warning of water scarcity” for most of the country – not during a long, hot summer but at the beginning of April – just seems plain wrong for those of us who remember Scotland in the olden days.

Heavy rain falls on Helensburgh in January but Scotland has been experiencing an extended period of dry weather (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell) | Getty Images

“March was a dry month for most of Scotland. Some areas received less than half of the average rainfall for this time of year. This follows on from a dry autumn and winter,” Sepa said, warning that “significant above-average rainfall” in spring and summer would be needed to avoid shortages and that “everyone should plan to increase their resilience to the impacts of prolonged dry conditions”.

Perhaps we’ll soon need to draw up a list of 100 words for dry. Here’s a start: parched, arid, desiccated, sun-baked...