Wisley records 50 days without rain as UK drought worsens

Wisley in Surrey went 50 consecutive days without rain as England and Wales moved toward their driest July since records began 190 years ago, with large swathes of England logging 0% of the rainfall they would normally expect for the month. Some parts of the UK were on course to have gone almost a month without any measurable wet weather.

By 30 July, Met Office data showed England had seen just 5.6mm of rainfall, only 8% of its long-term July average and less than half the previous record low of 13.4mm set in 1911. Wales had seen 7.9mm, also 8% of its average.

Parts of southern, central and eastern England were close to drought, the National Drought Group said, as the heatwave intensified across the country. Matt Taylor said there was no sign of rain in the foreseeable forecast and that the heatwave could extend into the following week in some places. He warned that fire risk would remain very high, if not exceptional.

The dryness had already built for weeks at Wisley, where 27 consecutive days passed without rain. Temperatures there reached 25C for the first time in July, and central England recorded no measurable rain for 15 days at one point, the longest dry spell there since June 1996. Amber and yellow heat health alerts were in force as temperatures were forecast to peak at 35C, while the UK endured its fourth widespread heatwave of the year.