Record spells with no rain across parts of central and south-east England

As the extremely dry spell continues across much of England and Wales, a number of weather stations have smashed their previous longest periods without rain.

It comes after the driest July for England and Wales, external since Met Office records began 190 years ago.

Already Wales and most of England are in drought, with parts of eastern Scotland in significant water scarcity.

Despite some locations receiving rain this week, not enough fell in drought-hit areas to provide any meaningful relief.

These include Wisley in Surrey, which has notched up 51 consecutive dry days and Coningsby in Lincolnshire with 42 days of no rainfall.

High pressure has dominated the weather since late-spring, preventing rain clouds building up.

This year, because of the dry spring, Coningsby has seen as a five month stretch of below normal rainfall.

Any rain that has fallen this summer has been in the form of well scattered showers meaning many areas have completely missed out.

By contrast Scotland and Northern Ireland have been on the edge of the high pressure systems where rain clouds are occasionally directed.

The longest recorded stretch without rain stands at 73 days at Mile End, London, in 1893.

Previously Coningsby had experienced a record stretch of 33 rain-free days in June-July 2018.

Before this year, Wisley's record of 36 days went further back to 1976.

Despite forecasts showing our weather becoming slightly more variable over the next few weeks, dry conditions continue to dominate for many without any sign of drought-busting rainfall.

There is no defined amount of rain that would see a drought end. It depends on a number of factors including how much rain falls, where it falls, and how regular or prolonged the downpours are.

The speed at which rivers, reservoirs and groundwater storage tops up is also important, but this needs to be balanced out against the demand we and industry put on water supply.

The drought in 2025, which lasted around six months for some, only ended in the autumn when the UK experienced "weather whiplash" - a sudden change in weather patterns that brought weeks of above-average rainfall.

Forecasts are suggesting further surges of heat over the coming week with daytime temperatures are expected to climb back into the high 20s if not low 30s Celsius.

Some forecasts hint at the potential of a further heat spike later next week with highs into the mid-30s possible prompting the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to issue a number of yellow heat health alerts, external.

The UKHSA is warning that minor impacts are likely across health and social care services. Use of healthcare services by vulnerable people is expected to increase, with a greater risk to life of vulnerable people.

There will also be an increased potential for indoor environments to become very warm, and water related incidents may increase, including risks from cold water shock and drowning.