Mapped: Half of England in drought as another heat warning issued
Half of England is officially facing drought, the Environment Agency has said, following record drought and high temperatures.
Seven areas in central, eastern and southern England were declared in drought, including East Anglia, Hertfordshire, London, the Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands and Wessex; The last of Wessex covers Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and south Gloucestershire.
July will be the driest month on record; England receives only 7 percent of the expected rainfall, while southern England receives only 1 percent.
For this reason, many parts of the country are experiencing a sudden drought despite a rainy winter.
Drought map:
This comes as health warnings issued by the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) come into force across much of the country.
A yellow heat health alert is in force for the East Midlands, east of England, London and the south-east until 9am on Thursday, July 30.
Meanwhile, a yellow temperature health alert remains in force for the West Midlands, south-west and Yorkshire and the Humber during the same period.
There have been three droughts in the last five years: 2022, 2025 and 2026.
Helen Wakeham, Environment Agency water director and chair of the National Drought Group, said: “Hot, dry weather means we are currently using water faster than nature can replenish it.
“A second consecutive summer drought is extremely serious and will have long-lasting impacts on our environment, wildlife and economy.
“We want everyone to stay safe and hydrated in hot weather, but every drop we can save is another drop for nature and agriculture.”
Why has drought been declared now?
according to Environment Agency“Droughts are undefined natural events because every drought is different.”
He adds: “While these are all due to lack of rainfall, the specifics (including timing, duration, impacts on people, environment, agriculture and business) may differ.”
The agency lists three different main types of drought: agricultural drought – “when there is insufficient rainfall and moisture in the soil to support crop production or farming practices” – environmental drought – and water supply drought – “when a lack of rainfall leads to concerns about supply to water companies’ customers”.
