Britain is set to see the end of its prolonged heatwave as new forecast maps from WXCharts show substantial rainfall could reach many areas as soon as Tuesday, August 18. Northern Ireland, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, South Wales, Shropshire, Hampshire, the Home Counties, the West Midlands, and East and West Sussex are all likely to get a drenching.
Rain brings relief
The wet weather will be a welcome relief for farmers, gardeners, and others affected by the dry conditions. Temperatures are also forecast to plummet, with a drop of 20 degrees in parts of the country from Thursday, August 20. London could see temperatures fall to the high teens, while parts of Scotland might only reach 5 to 6C.
Before the break, the UK braces for its fifth heatwave of the year, with yellow heat health alerts in force from 9am on Saturday to 9pm on Tuesday. The Met Office said temperatures will climb through the weekend, with a high of 36C expected in East Anglia and south-east England by Thursday.
Record-breaking heat
This year has seen two record-breaking heatwaves in May and June, leading to more than 2,800 excess deaths, and two more in July that fueled drought and wildfires. The highest temperature of the year was 38C recorded at Lingwood in Norfolk on June 28. There have been 33 days so far with temperatures exceeding 30C, and the record of 34 days set in 1995 is likely to be broken next week.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued yellow heat health alerts for the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and London. The Fire Severity Index indicates that fires are likely to become exceptionally severe on Sunday for almost all of the east and south-east of England.
Water shortages
Reservoir storage in England has dropped to 69%, down from 72% a week ago and nearly 12 percentage points below the long-term average, the Environment Agency said on Friday. Five reservoirs are now classed as having exceptionally low levels: Blagdon in Somerset (54% full), Clywedog in Powys (62%), the Dove group in Derbyshire (74%), Hanningfield in Essex (60%), and Wimbleball in Somerset (50%).
Last month was the driest July for England and Wales since records began in 1836, with nineteen counties recording effectively no rainfall – 1mm or less – across the whole month, according to the Met Office.
