Half of England and the whole of Wales is officially in drought as successive heatwaves pile pressure on water supplies, but the Met Office has said cooler temperatures are coming
Temperatures are set to drop across parts of the UK, with forecasters predicting a chilly start to the weekend for many Britons.
This comes after days of sweltering, humid weather, with the Met Office confirming that England and Wales are on track for the driest July since records began.
The forecaster said Saturday will bring a cooler start for many, but there will be plenty of sunny spells through the morning. Maximum temperatures of 25-26C are predicted and meteorologists said that while still warm, it will not feel as hot as recently.
The Met Office announced on Friday that England and Wales are heading towards the driest July since records began. It noted the month had been defined by an “exceptional combination of extreme heat, abundant sunshine and an almost complete absence of rainfall”.
Provisional figures revealed that just 5.6mm of rainfall had been recorded across England in July – less than half of the previous record of 13.4mm set in 1911.
Wales is also facing its driest July on record with just 7.9mm of rainfall, nearly a third of the previous record of 22.6mm, also set in 1911.
Northern Ireland is on course for its eighth driest July, while the UK as a whole is heading for its third driest on record. Scotland has received 72% of its average rainfall for the month and is not currently among its top 10 driest Julys.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said Saturday would bring showery rain in the north, particularly across Scotland, but conditions would remain mostly dry elsewhere. In Friday evening’s weather forecast, Mr Burkill said: “Many places, especially in the south, are crying out for some much-needed rain.
“Whilst there’s a bit of a rain on the horizon for next week, there’s not much to come this weekend.”
Aerial photographs captured on Friday reveal the bone-dry London landscape following weeks of scorching, arid weather. Half of England and the whole of Wales is officially in drought as successive heatwaves pile pressure on water supplies.
Firefighters have been battling a blaze at Dunwich Heath, near Leiston, Suffolk, since 5.30pm on Wednesday. On Friday evening, Suffolk County Council confirmed crews were still at the scene and “good progress is continuing”.
The wildfire is situated just a few miles from nuclear power station Sizewell B and the construction site for the proposed new power station Sizewell C.
