Wisley in Surrey has not seen a single drop of rain for 36 consecutive days, a stark illustration of the drought conditions gripping parts of the UK. The village, like large swaths of central southern England, has recorded 3mm or less since 15 June. Across most of England, rainfall has been below 10mm in that period, while Blackheath Common has been turned a “singed shade of straw-yellow” by the relentless heat.
The dry spell follows three consecutive heatwaves, the driest spring on record, and a June that saw more than 150 weather stations break their highest maximum temperature records – a new national June record of 37.7C was set at Lingwood. Eight water providers, including Thames Water which introduced a hosepipe ban on Thursday, have now restricted use of hoses for watering gardens, filling paddling pools and cleaning vehicles.
“Weekend rain too light to reverse drought as Wisley goes 36 days dry, Met Office warns.”
This weekend, a change in weather patterns is forecast. The high pressure that has dominated will move westward – a process known as retrogression – allowing the jet stream to steer weather fronts across the UK. But the rain will be modest. Steve Willington, Met Office chief forecaster, said: “The high pressure has been a key feature of the UK’s weather forecast over the last few weeks, bringing above-average temperatures and extremely dry conditions for many. However, we will begin to see a modest change as a weak weather front pushes south across the UK on Saturday, bringing some much-needed rain, albeit light and mainly concentrated in the North and West. Behind the front, a showery air mass will bring potentially heavy showers, some of which may be thundery.”
Northern Ireland, northern England and north Wales can expect 5-10mm over hills, while western Scotland may get 10-20mm on high ground. But the Midlands, southern and east England will see only a few millimetres, and some areas could miss out entirely. Even where rain falls, it may be patchy. Greg Wolverson, Met Office deputy chief forecaster, warned: “Although there is a return to rain in the forecast, we have just come out of an exceptionally dry spell and the forecast rain is unlikely to be widespread or substantial. Many areas are likely to continue experiencing prevailing dry conditions for the foreseeable future, especially in southern England.”
The modest rainfall may double the amount seen since mid-June in some spots, bringing temporary relief to parched gardens. But it will not be enough to halt the slide towards more widespread drought conditions. Looking ahead, forecasters say another heatwave could form over Spain and France in August – though it is too soon to tell whether it will reach the UK. For now, the rain is a brief interlude in a summer defined by its absence.