Drought Announced for Half of England Following Hot, Dry Conditions

LONDON, July 29 - Half of England has been declared in drought after unusually low rainfall and extended high temperatures reduced rivers and reservoirs, Britain’s Environment Agency said Wednesday.

So far, July has received just 7% of its long-term average rainfall, dropping to 1% in parts of southern England. Large areas of central, eastern and southern England are experiencing a quickly developing “flash drought.”

• Seven regions — London, East Anglia, the Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands, and Wessex — are now formally in drought.
• About 78% of England’s rivers are below typical levels and reservoir storage has dropped to 75.3% of capacity. Seven water companies have put water-use restrictions in place affecting around 23 million customers.
• The Environment Agency said this is England’s third drought in five years, after those in 2022 and 2025.
• The Met Office on Wednesday confirmed a new UK and England June temperature record of 38 degrees Celsius (100.4° Fahrenheit).
• The figure surpassed the earlier reported provisional reading of 37.7C and is now the highest June temperature recorded in the United Kingdom.
• The Met Office also confirmed June temperature records for Wales and Northern Ireland, while dismissing some preliminary readings from stations that didn’t meet required standards.