England and Wales on course for driest July since records began

England and Wales are on course for the driest July since records began as a prolonged heatwave, low rainfall and widespread drought made the month “remarkable”, the Met Office has said.July has been characterised by an “exceptional combination of extreme heat, abundant sunshine and an almost complete absence of rainfall”, the forecaster said.Provisional statistics show that only 5.6mm of rainfall has been recorded in England in July so far, which is less than half of the previous record of 13.4mm set in 1911.Meanwhile, Wales is also tracking its driest July with 7.9mm of rainfall recorded, almost a third of the previous record of 22.6mm set in 1911.Northern Ireland is on track for its eighth driest July while the UK as a whole is on course for its third driest.Scotland has received 72% of its average rainfall for the month and is not currently within its top 10 driest Julys.The forecaster said that while there is still one day of the month remaining and figures might change, the emerging picture is “one of a truly exceptional July”.It said: “A prolonged heatwave, exceptionally low rainfall and widespread drought conditions have combined to make July 2026 a remarkable month.”Met Office Scientist Dr Emily Carlisle said: “The headline story for July is undoubtedly the rainfall.An aerial view of Kensington Palace and Kensington Gardens in London as the heatwave continues (Aaron Chown/PA)PA Wire“Across parts of England and Wales we’ve seen extraordinarily low totals, with some locations recording little or no meaningful rainfall for much of the month.Read More“Provisional figures suggest this could be one of the driest Julys in nearly two centuries of records, which is particularly notable when coupled with the exceptional heat experienced so far this summer.”The ongoing hot weather has led to Wales tracking its warmest July for average temperature on record and England tracking its joint warmest July for mean temperature on record.The south of England has been particularly hot, with temperatures at 3.2C above average.Aerial pictures show the parched London landscape after weeks of hot weather and dry conditions.An aerial shot of Buckingham Palace gardens (Aaron Chown/PA)PA WireMuch of the grass in the gardens of Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace appears to have turned brown while only the track at Ascot Racecourse appears to look nourished.After very little rainfall and sustained high temperatures, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) extended its drought declaration on Thursday to cover the whole of the country.Half of England is officially in drought as the successive heatwaves put pressures on water resources.In its weekend forecast, the Met Office said that while there are some showers to come, it will be another warm and dry weekend.The forecaster said on X: “England and Wales will see some rain, although much of it falling as showers meaning rainfall totals will vary considerably, and some places will see little rain despite the unsettled outlook.”Scorching temperatures as high as 35.2C were recorded on Wednesday, marking the seventh day in 2026 when temperatures have hit 35C or higher.Only the track at Ascot racecourse appears to be nourished (Aaron Chown/PA)PA WireFire chiefs said that wildfires are becoming a “recurring and growing feature of the risks facing our communities” in the face of a changing climate.Firefighters responded to 393 wildfires across England and Wales in July, making it the busiest month on record.The number of wildfire incidents recorded this year already matches the total annual figures seen in 2021, 2023 and 2024 combined, although the number is below the same point in 2025 when long-lasting drought and heat caused severe fire risk.Firefighters have been tackling a blaze at Dunwich Heath, near Leiston, Suffolk, since 5.30pm on Wednesday.Sharing an update on Friday afternoon, Suffolk County Council said a helicopter will be brought in to drop around 1,000 litres of seawater with every pass over the scene, to tackle areas difficult to access by foot or vehicle.Low water levels at the Llwyn-On reservoir in South Wales revealed an old stone bridge (Eleanor Storey/PA)PA WireThe wildfire is a few miles away from nuclear power station Sizewell B and the construction site for new power station Sizewell C.The National Trust, which has had wildfires at a number of its sites including at Dunwich Heath, is demanding action to help people adapt to the changing climate.These demands include building homes fit for the future, creating wetter and more resilient landscapes, cooling towns and cities and helping communities.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it “is likely that 2026 could see the highest number of heat-associated deaths on record”, surpassing the number seen in 2022 when the UKHSA started studying them.There have been almost double the number of excess deaths caused by heatwaves so far this year than all of last summer, the data shows.The new report estimates there were 2,877 heat-associated deaths during the heatwaves in May and June this year, with an estimated 753 deaths associated with the heatwave from May 24-27, and a further 2,124 with the heatwave between June 21 and 28.