Rain is finally on the way for parts of the UK after record-breaking heat and drought, but areas of the country which need relief the most will remain dry. July was southern England’s driest month ever recorded, with the whole of Wales and half of England plunged into drought.
Record heat and dry spell
Yesterday marked the 20th day of 2026 when 32C or higher was recorded in the UK, exceeding the previous record of 19 days set in 1995, the Met Office said. And although outbreaks of rain are expected today in Northern Ireland, Scotland, western England and Wales, the Met Office has forecast a dry day for much of the Midlands, the east and south-east of England with warm sunshine and high humidity.
Temperatures are expected to decrease gradually in the second half of the week, and there is some more unsettled weather forecast for parts of the UK, including a yellow warning for thunderstorms in Northern Ireland.
South East remains dry
But the South East will continue to see little in the way of desperately needed rain, the Met Office has warned. Farming leaders have warned that this year is one of the ‘most severe droughts many farmers and growers have lived through’. They’ve been dealing with poor yields, struggling to access water for fruit and vegetables, and livestock keepers are using winter feed for their animals.
In July, 19 counties across England recorded effectively no rainfall – 1mm or less – across the whole of the month, the Met Office figures show. The summer of extreme weather has seen two record-breaking heatwaves, in May and June, that led to more than 2,800 excess deaths, and two more heatwaves in July which have fuelled drought and wildfires.
Health alerts and wildfires
In the latest heat spike, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has amber heat health alerts in place for the East Midlands, East of England, South East and London until Wednesday morning. There are also yellow heat health alerts for the North West, South West, West Midlands, and Yorkshire and The Humber. The latest high temperatures could put extra pressure on the NHS, with more vulnerable people likely to require medical treatment.
Firefighters remained at the scene of a heathland blaze in Dunwich, Suffolk, on Monday, and crews declared a major incident as they tackled a huge wildfire in the Rhondda valley in South Wales. Drone footage showed blackened ground and smoke billowing metres into the air over the valley, where South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) said the fire had affected 150 hectares of land, including forest, scrubland and vegetation.
