Parts of the UK could have flooding this week, with heavy rain forecast to hit hard, drought-stricken land as yet another water firm announced a hosepipe ban.
Some areas will have the "first meaningful rain for a long time", the Met Office said, after weeks of heatwaves and dry weather have left many areas facing water shortages.
Rainy front to sweep south
A rainy front will begin to sweep down from Northern Ireland and Scotland towards the south of England and Wales on Monday, kicking off a wetter week with cooler conditions that are much closer to average for the time of year, the Met Office said.
Meanwhile, heavy showers are expected to hit the UK on Thursday, missing some areas but bringing the chance of surface flooding in places where rainfall is particularly intense, it added.
The change comes after the UK's fifth heatwave of the summer, which saw the hottest day of the year recorded in Kew Gardens, London, on Thursday when temperatures reached 38.1C.
Wessex Water ban
The forecast rain may bring some welcome relief to parched land and fire-fighters tackling wildfires. But it is unlikely to bring an end to widespread drought conditions that have put severe pressure on wildlife, farmers, transport, emergency services infrastructure and water resources.
Wessex Water became the latest utility to announce a hosepipe ban on Monday, citing increased demand during the dry weather but also longer-term weather forecasts that mean resources must be protected for customers and the environment. It is the first time it has put restrictions in place in 50 years – since the summer of 1976.
The firm said the temporary use ban would come into effect on Tuesday for all 1.4 million customers that it supplies with water across areas in Bath, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire. More than 27 million people across England have now had hosepipe use restricted in their area.
Forecast details
Mike Silverstone, the Met Office's deputy chief forecaster, said: "Many areas in England and Wales are desperate for rain, this week some of these areas will see the first meaningful rain for a long time."
Mr Silverstone said on Monday evening showers would spread further south to western parts of England and Wales as the main front clears into the North Sea. Through Tuesday showers are expected to continue in the north of the country, particularly in the North West, and another area of rain will move into the South West by the evening. This will then likely spread east across the South, bringing the first spell of widespread rain to areas in need the most, he added.
"Thursday will be a day of heavy showers across much of the UK, while some of these will be heavy, some areas will miss them altogether," Mr Silverstone said. "As some of these showers could be intense, there is a chance of some surface water flooding as the rain falls on very dry and hard ground."
By Friday, the conditions are expected to turn drier once again through the weekend, and next week is forecast to have more rain.
Wildfires and water demand
Ruth Jefferson, Wessex Water's chief executive, said the company was contacting larger business customers who are high water users to encourage them to avoid non-essential use and encouraging households to make small and simple changes such as taking shorter showers and letting the lawn go brown.
"After 50 years without a hosepipe ban in the Wessex Water region, the first since the famous drought of 1976, this isn't a decision we've made lightly and we're sorry for the inconvenience it will cause," she said. "But the prolonged and extreme dry weather has meant demand across our region has consistently remained at more than 400 million litres per day, 30% above average for this time of year and the equivalent of almost half a million hosepipes running for a full hour every day."
Elsewhere, wildfires have ravaged parts of the UK, including in the West Midlands, where a blaze in Stourbridge destroyed 19 homes. Several fire services have asked people to only call 999 to report a genuine emergency.
In an update on Monday, the National Fire Chiefs Council said 1,132 wildfires have now been recorded across England and Wales in 2026 so far – a record high for the amount between January and this time of year.
Phil Garrigan, NFCC chairman, said progress was "encouraging" as firefighters tackle the blazes but added that the country was "not out of this yet".
"This has undoubtedly been an incredibly tough period for fire and rescue services, but we are beginning to see incident numbers reduce and that is welcome news. Conditions remain exceptionally dry in many parts of the country and it only takes one spark to start a serious wildfire. We have seen first-hand the devastating consequences these fires can have for communities, wildlife and property. The progress we are seeing is encouraging, but continued public support and responsibility will be critical in the days ahead as firefighters and fire control teams continue their work to keep communities safe."
