More than eight million households in England are now living under hosepipe bans as a heatwave continues across the United Kingdom, with no significant rainfall forecast for at least another week, according to BBC News.
Large portions of England have recorded zero percent of the rainfall they would normally expect in July. Wisley in Surrey has gone 26 consecutive days without any measurable wet weather. Herstmonceux in East Sussex has had no rain for 24 days. Several other sites, including Heathrow in London, Cardington in Bedfordshire, and Wittering in Cambridgeshire, have each gone at least 20 days without rain.
For context, Wisley would typically receive 49.3 millimeters of rain in a full July. Odiham in Hampshire, another dry site, sees a monthly average of 50.8 millimeters.
Wales and Northern Ireland are also well below average, with most of Wales seeing less than 10% of the usual July rainfall. Northern Ireland ranges from 1% to 20% of typical levels depending on location. The one exception is north-west Scotland, where most areas have received 40% or more of their normal monthly rainfall. Aultbea in the Highlands has already recorded 95% of its typical July total, with more than half the month still remaining.
The ongoing dry conditions have fueled wildfire risk, with blazes already reported in areas including Greater Manchester and Conwy. High pressure will continue to dominate the UK forecast for the rest of the week, keeping widespread rainfall away from most of the country. Temperatures of up to 33 degrees Celsius are possible in southern England. A few isolated showers and thunderstorms may reach the far south of England and the Channel Islands, but many areas will not see any rain at all even during those events.
The summer has already broken several temperature records. The UK recorded a new June temperature record of 37.7 degrees Celsius at Lingwood in Norfolk, surpassing the previous record of 35.6 degrees set in 1976. This summer has also set a new record for the number of days reaching 35 degrees or above, with six days so far, beating the previous record of five days also set in 1976. The number of days reaching 34 degrees or above stands at nine, topping the previous record of eight from 1976.
This is also the first year on record in which temperatures of 35 degrees or above have been reached in three separate calendar months: May, June, and July.
