July 2026 was the driest month in southern England since records began nearly 200 years ago, the Met Office said, as England and Wales provisionally recorded their driest July in nearly 200 years. The month also brought exceptional warmth, with Wales having its joint warmest July on record for mean temperature and England recording its second warmest July.
The Met Office said the “remarkable conditions” this year came amid a summer marked by multiple heat records. The heatwaves have been made more intense and more likely by the fossil fuel-driven climate crisis. The heatwave that affected western Europe at the end of June was the .
July was the sixth consecutive month this year to have had above average mean temperatures, with only January so far experiencing mean temperatures below average. Dr Amy Doherty, a science manager at the Met Office, said:
“The combination of record-breaking dryness, exceptional warmth and unprecedented sunshine has delivered one of the most notable summer months in our historical records.”
The Environment Agency said the conditions were affecting farmers, wildlife and the amount of water available for public and business use. Half of England and the whole of Wales were last week declared to be . In England, 40% of the population are under a .
The National Farmers’ Union has the punishing drought could lead to shortages of certain foods in Britain. A series of huge wildfires, supercharged by the climate crisis, has torched large parts of Europe this summer, creating one of the worst seasons of wildfires of the past decade. In France, thousands of evacuees were allowed to return home or to holiday accommodation on Monday after the country’s largest wildfire on record.
Rivers in Europe are facing extremely low flows. The ’s water flow has fallen to 1,500 cubic metres per second in Romania, less than a third of its July average.
On Monday, the Met Office said England had its driest July on record, with only 6.5mm of rainfall. That is only 10% of its long-term meteorological average for the month, and less than half of the previous record of 13.4mm set in 1911. Wales also had its driest July on record, with 9.3mm of rainfall – only 9% of its long-term meteorological average for the month.
Nineteen counties recorded less than (or equal to) 1mm of rainfall in July. These were Berkshire, Dorset, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Greater London, Herefordshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Rutland, Surrey, Warwickshire and West Sussex.
The Environment Agency water reserves “should be enough for the coming months until the next period of sustained rainfall”. While rain is forecast for some parts of England, the Met Office said south-east England would continue to experience little rain.
What was the background to the dry conditions?
The dry spell followed a summer that had already seen England and Wales on track for their driest July on record, with drought declared in large parts of the UK and wildfire risk rising. Earlier in July, much of the UK had seen an exceptionally hot, dry summer, with low rainfall, hosepipe bans and concerns over a possible drought. The heatwave continued with no significant rain forecast for over a week, while half of England was officially in exceptional drought by 29 July.
How are officials and farmers responding?
The Environment Agency said the current conditions were having a direct impact on water supplies, farming and wildlife. The National Farmers’ Union warned that the punishing drought could lead to shortages of certain foods in Britain. The agency said water reserves “should be enough for the coming months until the next period of sustained rainfall”, but south-east England was still expected to see little rain.
Where was rainfall lowest?
Nineteen counties recorded less than or equal to 1mm of rainfall in July, highlighting how widespread the dryness was across England. Those counties were Berkshire, Dorset, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Greater London, Herefordshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Rutland, Surrey, Warwickshire and West Sussex.
What wider climate impacts were mentioned?
The Met Office linked the severe summer conditions to multiple heat records, while noting that the climate crisis is making heatwaves more intense and more likely. The article also pointed to huge wildfires across Europe this summer, including the country’s largest wildfire on record in France, and to extremely low river flows on the continent, including in Romania where the water flow fell to 1,500 cubic metres per second, less than a third of its July average.
The Met Office said the combination of record-breaking dryness, exceptional warmth and unprecedented sunshine made July 2026 one of the most notable summer months in its historical records.
Key Facts
- England had its driest July on record with 6.5mm of rainfall.
- Wales also had its driest July on record with 9.3mm of rainfall.
- Nineteen counties recorded 1mm or less of rainfall in July.
- Wales had its joint warmest July on record for mean temperature.
- England recorded its second warmest July.
