The Met Office has delivered a disappointing forecast for drought-affected areas of England, indicating that significant rain is unlikely for at least another eight to nine days. Even then, the predicted rain around August 18 or 19 is not confirmed and may not be sufficient to alleviate the drought.
Dry Conditions Persist
Much of England has seen barely any rainfall in the past month, and what rain has fallen has been too light or sporadic to break the drought. While north-west Scotland experienced half a month's rain in just two days over the weekend, other parts of the UK continue to bake in dry, warm conditions.
Temperatures are expected to spike to a possible 36C in some areas on Wednesday and Thursday, with the Met Office warning of potential impacts on infrastructure such as railway lines and power networks as heatwave conditions return.
Health Alerts and Drought Status
Health officials have issued alerts, with significant impacts possible in health and social care settings and a potential rise in deaths due to the heat. Yellow heat health alerts from the UK Health Security Agency are in place for the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and London until 9pm on Tuesday.
Half of England and all of Wales have been plunged into drought, and more regions could be declared when officials meet at the National Drought Group on Monday.
Forecaster's View
Met Office forecaster Tom Morgan told the Press Association: “Unfortunately, in the south of the UK it’s looking really dry for the next week or so. Where we desperately need it (rain) in the particularly drought-affected areas, the week ahead is expected to be dry. There’s tentative signs from around August 18, 19, but a long way in the future, that we might see a little bit more in a way of rain getting further south across the UK, but nothing definitive at this stage.”
Wildfires and Fire Risk
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident on Sunday as two large fires in woodland put a strain on resources. Several wildfires have broken out in the UK in recent weeks, including blazes at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, Headon Warren on the Isle of Wight, Llanwonno in the Rhondda Valleys, South Wales, and the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland.
Hot weather continued to build on Sunday, with the south and south-eastern parts of England expected to have the highest temperatures. According to the Fire Severity Index, any wildfires are likely to be exceptionally severe on Sunday in almost all of the east and south-east of England, with “exceptional” being its highest ranking.
