After the driest July on record, the British government stated on the 10th that 71.3% of England is now experiencing drought.
Due to prolonged hot and dry weather, drought conditions in England continue to spread. According to the latest report from the UK government, 71.3% of England has entered sudden drought status, with water use restrictions now covering drought zones for 27 million people. Meteorological monitoring shows that England and Wales have just experienced their driest July in the past 190 years.
The combined effect of high temperatures and drought has led to multiple secondary impacts: water levels in rivers and reservoirs across the UK continue to drop, the risk of wildfires is rising, and the ecological environment as well as agriculture and livestock production have all been affected to varying degrees.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said this “sudden drought” came quickly and sharply, mainly due to extremely low rainfall and high temperatures.
In the UK, where the weather is usually humid and changeable, there have already been three drought years in the past five years. This summer has seen five heatwaves so far, with multiple temperature records being broken.
In terms of rainfall, both England and Wales recorded their lowest rainfall in July since records began.
The UK Met Office previously stated that this year, rainfall in England is only 10% of the long-term average.