Drought officials have declared that 71.3% of England is now officially in drought, a status confirmed following the nation’s driest July since records began in 1836. The decision was reached on Monday by the National Drought Group, a coalition comprising regulators, government officials, water companies, and agricultural bodies.
The latest regions to be moved into drought status include the East Midlands, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Kent, East Sussex, and the Solent and the South Downs. These areas join the entirety of Wales and large portions of England that were already under drought conditions. Currently, 45 million people reside in these affected areas, with more than 27 million individuals facing active water use restrictions.
This declaration follows an exceptionally hot and dry summer, with heatwave conditions set to return for many across the country this week. The week ahead is forecast to remain mostly dry as the fifth heatwave of the year intensifies, although there are signs of some rain potentially arriving in the UK on Sunday.
Tony Grayling, chair of the National Drought Group, warned that conditions will continue to worsen until the nation experiences “significant and sustained rainfall.” He noted that the current situation is categorized as a “flash drought,” which “develops very quickly” and is “brought about by a combination of very low rainfall and higher temperatures.”
“We know the hot and dry weather is taking a real toll on farming and there will be long-lasting impacts on our environment,” Grayling said in a statement. He added that “we need everyone’s help in using a little less water to make sure our current water reserves last” through this period of extreme stress.
Parks and green areas across England have visibly dried out due to the persistent heat, a phenomenon clearly seen at the Clifton Observatory in Bristol and Brockwell Park in south London, where landscapes have turned brown. Meanwhile, Yorkshire and north-east England have been moved to “prolonged dry weather” status, which serves as the official stage preceding a formal drought declaration.
Nowhere in England remains under a “normal” status. The ongoing heat is compounded by the UK Health Security Agency, which has issued amber heat health alerts for all of England—excluding the North East—effective from Tuesday at 09:00 BST until Friday at 21:00 BST. An amber alert signifies that significant impacts “are likely” across health and social care services due to the sustained high temperatures.
The continued hot and dry conditions have significantly increased the risk of wildfires. Dozens of firefighters are currently battling a major blaze in the New Forest, which earlier on Monday was estimated to cover an area equivalent to 140 football pitches, or approximately 247 acres.
In contrast, Scotland and Northern Ireland have not been experiencing drought conditions and are expected to see spells of heavy rain over the coming week. While Scotland does not declare drought, it monitors “water scarcity.” Conditions have improved in some parts of Scotland following recent rainfall, though some eastern areas remain in the two most extreme categories of “moderate” or “significant” scarcity, according to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Historical data underscores the severity of the current climate. Last month, England and Wales saw the driest July since 1836, while for southern England, it was the driest month ever recorded. South-east England received only 1% of the expected average rainfall for July, and some parts of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, and West Sussex have experienced virtually no precipitation at all.
The agricultural sector is feeling the strain, with farmers reporting reduced output following their earliest harvests in 20 years. The National Farmers Union (NFU) has warned that continued dry weather is devastating yields. NFU president Tom Bradshaw stated that wheat and oat yields were “very, very poor” this year and warned that livestock farmers have been forced to use their winter fodder supplies prematurely.
Emma Pinchbeck, chief executive of the Climate Change Committee, argued that the UK is “not prepared at all” for this level of prolonged dry weather. She noted that the country’s infrastructure and agricultural sector are not ready for the current climate reality. This marks the third drought in the past five years, following events in 2022 and 2025. Furthermore, the World Meteorological Organisation warns that a strong El Niño event is developing and is expected to dominate global climate patterns in the coming months, potentially exacerbating these trends.
South-east England received 1% of the expected average rainfall for July, while some parts of Hampshire, Isle of Wight and West Sussex have not had a rain day for 59 days.
Water Minister Emma Hardy said the government is working to make it easier for farmers to build more on-site irrigation reservoirs, which capture and hold water.
Only 14% of England’s rivers are considered to be at normal levels, while 22% are “exceptionally low” – including the River Avon in south-west England and the River Ely Ouse in eastern England.
The Environment Agency has warned that low water levels have resulted in potential navigation issues for boats on the Thames, Lark and Ouse.
Warmer water is putting fish under “severe stress,” Head of Fisheries at the Angling Trust Mark Owen said, as it holds less dissolved oxygen.
“We’re seeing right now with the impacts on farming from this drought and the extreme heat we’re experiencing, our infrastructure, our agricultural sector and lots of areas of the economy are not really ready for the weather we now have and how that weather will change up to 2050,” she said Radio 4’s Today programme.
What has been striking about this summer is not any single record, but the way weather extremes are piling up.
By raising average temperatures, it makes extreme heat more likely and, when rain fails, increases evaporation and dries soils faster.
That creates a feedback – dry ground cools the air less, allowing temperatures to climb still higher.
The UK is now seeing the kind of hotter, drier summers climate scientists have long projected, part of a global pattern of heat.
There have been three droughts in the past five years â in 2022, 2025 and now 2026.
This year, there have been 34 days with temperatures that have reached 30C or above somewhere in England, including 13 consecutive days in July.
Heat extremes are becoming more likely and more intense due to human-caused climate change, the Met Office says.
Meanwhile, El Ni̱o Рthe recurring climate pattern in which unusually warm Pacific Ocean waters can affect weather around the world Рis giving global temperatures an additional, natural boost.
