The whole of Wales is now in drought, as the UK struggles with extreme heat, wildfires and dry conditions that experts warn may linger until the autumn.
The UK has endured its fourth heatwave of the summer, with temperatures topping 35C, as health authorities warned England is on track this year for the highest number of deaths caused by such hot spells since current figures began.
Wales drought extends
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has extended its drought declaration – which was declared for North Wales and the Upper Severn last week – to cover the whole of the country, after very little rainfall and sustained high temperatures. Wales has received just 8% of its long-term average rainfall for July, and the country is on course to have its driest July since records began 190 years ago, NRW said.
Half of England is officially in drought, despite a very wet winter, as an extremely dry July compounded a dry spring, and the successive heatwaves have put pressure on water resources.
Wildfire on Suffolk coast
In the latest wildfire, properties including a holiday park were evacuated and roads closed as firefighters battled a large heathland blaze on the Suffolk coast, at Dunwich Heath. Suffolk Fire and Rescue service declared a major incident, and the fire covered about 100 hectares (250 acres) on Thursday.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said firefighters would have all the resources they needed, and a spokesperson for energy company EDF said the fire was not affecting operations at nearby Sizewell B nuclear power stations, but they were “closely monitoring the situation”.
The blaze, which is affecting National Trust and RSPB nature reserves which are home to rare birds and other important wildlife, broke out amid soaring temperatures, which reached 35.2C in Writtle, Essex, on Wednesday, marking the seventh day of 2026 which recorded a high of 35C or more. Before this year, the record was five days in which temperatures were at or above 35C, set in 1976 and matched in 2020.
Heat-related deaths
Temperature records have tumbled throughout the summer, with heatwaves in May and June both recording new highs for the time of year. The UK is increasingly suffering from the impact on lives, livelihoods and landscapes of extreme weather such as droughts and heatwaves fuelled by human-caused climate change, mostly as a result of burning fossil fuels.
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 May heatwave from May 24-27, and a further 2,124 with the June heatwave between June 21 and 28.
An earlier, separate analysis by Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine projected 2,700 excess deaths for the two periods and said that two fifths of those deaths were because of the extra heat caused by climate change.
Impact on farming and water
And while temperatures are cooling off into the weekend, and forecasters are expecting some unsettled weather and rainfall next week, it is not likely to deliver the persistent, heavy rain that is needed to make up for the current shortfall.
Met Office chief meteorologist Will Lang said: “While there is always the potential for periods of rain during the remainder of the summer, current forecasts do not favour the widespread, sustained rainfall that would be needed to make a significant difference to rainfall deficits that have built up over recent months. As we move through August, there remains a tendency towards drier than average conditions, particularly in southern and eastern areas. Meaningful recovery from prolonged dry conditions often relies on more frequent and widespread rainfall during the autumn months, when weather patterns typically become more changeable.”
Some 23 million customers are under hosepipe bans, just under 1,400 businesses have had to stop abstracting water, and the dry, hot conditions have hit river flows and wildlife, crops and livestock. The harvest has come early, with some crops such as cereals experiencing poorer yields, livestock farmers are using winter feed for livestock as a result of poor grass growth, and even those with on-farm reservoirs are likely to run out of supply during August in areas in drought.
There are warnings that the hard-baked earth will cause issues with harvesting crops such as potatoes and carrots. Farmers are calling for efforts to make agriculture more resilient to climate change, including making it easier to build on-farm reservoirs and flexible abstraction licences so farmers can take and store water when it rains.
Call for climate adaptation
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, including building homes fit for the future, creating wetter and more resilient landscapes, cooling towns and cities and helping communities. The charity’s director general Hilary McGrady called for “steps now to protect our health, our heritage and our way of life”, but also warned against accepting the kind of extremes this summer as the new normal.
She said: “Every nation has to tackle the problem at source – and that means leaving fossil fuels in the ground. Andy Burnham and his government must not stall in their response. The UK has responded to enormous challenges over the last century, and with enough will and strong leadership, it can do so again.”
