<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/29/half-england-officially-drought-environment-agency>
"Half of England is officially in drought, with July set to be the driest on
record after winter floods, the Environment Agency has said.
The “flash drought” developed quickly because of unusually low rainfall and
high temperatures.
The seven areas officially in drought are East Anglia, Hertfordshire and the
whole of London, Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and
Cornwall, the West Midlands, and Wessex (covering Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire
and south Gloucestershire).
Helen Wakeham, the director of water at the Environment Agency and chair of the
National Drought Group, said: “The hot and dry weather means we are currently
using water faster than nature can replenish it.
“A second consecutive summer drought is an exceptionally serious situation and
one that will have long-lasting impacts on our environment, wildlife and the
economy.
“We want everyone to stay safe and hydrated during the hot weather but every
drop we can save is a drop more for nature and agriculture.”
Wednesday’s announcement means England has experienced drought in three of the
past five years: 2022, 2025 and 2026.
July has had only 7% of the expected rainfall, falling to 1% across southern
England, with no substantial rainfall on the way. Some parts of Devon have not
experienced any rain for 50 consecutive days."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
