More parts of England are expected to be declared in drought on Monday as the country faces an exceptionally hot and dry summer, with almost all of southern England already under drought conditions and about 23 million people affected by hosepipe restrictions.
The National Drought Group, made up of regulators, government officials, water companies and agricultural organisations, is scheduled to meet on Monday afternoon to assess the situation across England.
Almost all of southern England is already officially in drought, while heatwave conditions are expected to return to many areas this week.
Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, said the number of people affected by hosepipe bans was likely to rise from the 23 million already experiencing restrictions.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the country had experienced an “exceptional, unprecedented summer”, which was becoming the “new norm”.
Bentley predicted that north-west England, currently classified as experiencing the less severe status of “prolonged dry weather”, could be among the areas where drought is declared on Monday.
East Anglia, Hertfordshire, London, Thames Valley, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Devon, Cornwall, the West Midlands and Wessex, covering Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and south Gloucestershire, are already officially in drought.
Scotland and Northern Ireland have not experienced drought conditions and are expected to receive periods of heavy rain over the coming week.
Drought generally refers to a prolonged period of unusually dry weather that can affect people, agriculture, wildlife and the wider environment.
England and Wales experienced their driest July since records began in 1836 last month, while southern England recorded its driest month ever.
River levels have continued to fall after England recorded less than 10mm of rainfall for seven consecutive weeks.
The Environment Agency has warned that the low levels could create navigation problems for boats on the Thames, Lark and Ouse.
Reservoir levels have also declined, with almost all reservoirs across England below their normal levels.
Five have been classified as “exceptionally low”, according to the agency.
The prolonged dry spell has also raised concerns over food production.
The National Farmers Union warned that continued drought could result in shortages of some food products.
NFU president Tom Bradshaw said wheat and oat yields were “very, very poor” this year, while livestock farmers had been forced to use their winter feed because they had been unable to grow enough grass.
The weather outlook offers little immediate relief, with much of England and Wales expected to remain dry and temperatures forecast to rise further.
Temperatures are expected to peak on Thursday before falling slightly over the weekend, but no significant rainfall is forecast for England and Wales in the foreseeable future.
Emma Pinchbeck, chief executive of the Climate Change Committee, said the UK was “not prepared at all” for prolonged dry weather.
She told Today, “We’re seeing right now with the impacts on farming from this drought and the extreme heat we’re experiencing, our infrastructure, our agricultural sector and lots of areas of the economy are not really ready for the weather we now have and how that weather will change up to 2050.”
The worsening conditions have also highlighted the link between climate change and drought.
Although climate change does not cause every heatwave or drought, rising average temperatures increase the likelihood of extreme heat and accelerate evaporation when rainfall is limited.
Dry soil can further intensify the heat because it cools the air less effectively, creating conditions that allow temperatures to rise even higher.
The UK is increasingly experiencing the hotter and drier summers that climate scientists have long projected as part of a wider global pattern.
July 2026 was the joint second-warmest July globally on record, at 1.47C above the pre-industrial average. Only July 2023 was warmer.
Meanwhile, a developing El Niño event is expected to provide an additional natural boost to global temperatures.
The World Meteorological Organisation said the phenomenon is expected to “dominate global climate patterns” in the coming months.
