Driest UK regions miss out on rain amid warning of wildfire risk ahead of fourth summer heatwave
The UK’s driest parts missed the chance for rain this weekend ahead of forecasts for the country’s fourth summer heatwave.
While northern and western parts of the UK received rainfall over the weekend, the driest parts of southern, eastern and central England have seen little or no relief after a month without rain so far.
This comes at a time when parts of Wales have already declared drought status, while parts of England are in “prolonged dry weather” status, the final stage before a drought is declared. Emergency services are preparing for bushfires, with parts of the South at risk of “extraordinarily severe” fires.
The country is preparing for its fourth summer heat wave this week, with temperatures expected to rise to 34 degrees in the South East.
Heat health alerts have been issued by the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) in the South West, South East, London, the East of England, the West and East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber from 9am Tuesday until 9am Friday.
This summer has seen record-breaking hot and dry conditions in England and Wales, following the driest spring on record. The Met Office confirmed last month was the UK’s hottest June on record, with temperatures reaching 37.7C in Lingwood, Norfolk, on June 26.
Prolonged dry weather has caused lands and rivers to dry out in the south and east of England, with farmers warning that dry lands could lead to food shortages later in the year.
Emergency services are also preparing for further wildfires due to the dry terrain. At the height of the third heatwave in mid-July, firefighters were battling 19 significant bushfires simultaneously in England and Wales.
A spokesperson for the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) warned: “With the Met Office warning that a fourth heatwave could develop this week and bring another period of very hot weather to parts of the UK, fire and rescue services remain vigilant and continue to prepare for the renewed risk of bushfires.”
Intergovernmental Relations Minister Hamish Falconer said the country was preparing for serious fires like those currently experienced in Spain and France.
He told Sky News: “Obviously there are wildfires in Scotland as well and we are in contact with the Scottish government about the support the British government can provide.
“But yes, we are preparing and we know we need to go further. “These are incredibly worrying scenes in Bordeaux and Spain.
“I think the Spanish government has been quite clear that they think the increasing severity of wildfires they are facing is a consequence of human-caused climate change, and we need to take those warnings very seriously indeed.”
According to the Met Office, southern England received just 1 per cent of average July rainfall, England 5 per cent and the UK as a whole 20 per cent.
Drought has caused water levels to drop and North Wales and the Upper Severn became the first region in the UK to declare a drought situation on Thursday.
If they start, the fires are expected to become exceptionally severe across eastern, southern and south-eastern England on Wednesday, according to Met Office data used by Natural England and Natural Resources Wales.
“Extraordinarily severe” warnings focus on the east of England on Thursday.
The Fire Severity Index looks at data such as precipitation, temperature and humidity, and agencies use it to assess the severity of a fire should it start. It does not cover the possibility of forest fires occurring.
Emergency crews spent days battling huge fires in Wales and Scotland that forced people to evacuate from their homes.
Mike Kendon, Met Office climate information scientist, warned: “We are increasingly seeing things that we once thought were extreme as normal.
“Every year new evidence is added to the evidence of climate change in the UK.”
