England and Wales are on course to record their driest July in almost two centuries after weeks of scorching temperatures and barely a drop of rain.
Provisional Met Office figures show the month is likely to be the driest since records began in 1836, with many areas receiving only a fraction of their average July rainfall.
Several counties have recorded less than 1mm of precipitation during the entire month, leaving rivers, reservoirs and farmland under mounting pressure.
The exceptionally dry conditions follow a succession of heatwaves that have baked much of southern and eastern Britain throughout the summer.
More than half of England and the entirety of Wales are officially in drought with millions of people under hosepipe bans.
Met Office Scientist Dr Emily Carlisle said: ‘The headline story for July is undoubtedly the rainfall.
‘Across parts of England and Wales we’ve seen extraordinarily low totals, with some locations recording little or no meaningful rainfall for much of the month.
‘Provisional figures suggest this could be one of the driest Julys in nearly two centuries of records, which is particularly notable when coupled with the exceptional heat experienced so far this summer.’
Large swathes of England and Wales have barely seen a drop of rain across the whole of July, figures show
The UK continues to struggle with the impacts of extreme heat and drought. Pictured: Richmond Park in London
The statistics show that England has recorded just 5.6mm of rainfall in July so far – just 8 per cent of its long-term average for the month and less than half the previous record of 13.4mm set in 1911.
The greatest rainfall deficits have been recorded across eastern, central and southern England, where prolonged high pressure has blocked Atlantic weather systems from reaching the UK.
Southern England has been particularly dry, seeing 1.5mm of rainfall – just 2 per cent of its long-term average rainfall for the month.
While some western and northern areas experienced occasional showers, these largely missed the regions most in need of rain.
Wales has also recorded just 7.9mm of rain – almost a third of the previous record of 22.6mm recorded in 1911.
The Met Office said persistent areas of high pressure have dominated the month’s weather, bringing long spells of sunshine, high temperatures and very little rainfall.
The lack of rain has contributed to rapidly declining river flows, parched soils and falling reservoir levels.
Millions of people are already living under hosepipe bans imposed by several water companies as supplies come under increasing strain.
Grass in Blackheath, south-east London, has turned entirely brown. Several counties have recorded less than 1mm of precipitation during the entire month
This month has also seen scorching temperatures, especially in the south of England (left). The settled conditions also delivered above-average sunshine across much of the UK
The Environment Agency has warned that reservoir storage has fallen to around 75 per cent nationally, well below the seasonal average.
River flows are also exceptionally low in many catchments, with wildlife and fish populations coming under increasing pressure.
Farmers have been hit hard, with crops suffering in the dry ground and some harvests being brought forward because of the lack of moisture.
Forecasters expect more changeable weather to develop into early August, bringing some outbreaks of rain to parts of the country.
However, they warned that any rainfall is unlikely to be enough to make up the huge deficits that have accumulated during July.
Meaningful recovery would require sustained periods of widespread rainfall rather than isolated showers.
The Royal Horticultural Society garden in Wisley, Surrey, has been named as the driest place in the UK after going 44 days without any precipitation, turning the gardens to scorched dust.
If rain continues to hold off for the rest of today, it will equal the national record of 45 days set in the summer of 1976.
Low water levels at the Llwyn-On reservoir in South Wales reveal an old stone bridge. Wales has recorded just 7.9mm of rain – almost a third of the previously record of 22.6mm recorded in 1911
More than half of England and the entirety of Wales are officially in drought with millions of people under hosepipe bans
On Wednesday, the Environment Agency declared more than half of England was officially in drought.
The increased heat has led to fears and warnings that wildfires could ‘spread rapidly’ with southern and eastern parts of England’s already bone-dry landscapes particularly at risk.
Helen Wakeham, 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.’
As Britain continues to bake in the hot sun, images revealed the extent of the lack of rainfall in parks across the country.
Brown grass could be seen across Blackheath in London and in many parks across the capital.
Rivers and lakes have dried up, with the Swithland Reservoir in Leicestershire now at just 44 per cent of its capacity.
