Parts of England officially had the driest July since records began in 1836
Parts of England have experienced the driest July since 1935, according to the Met Office.
July already broke records after the UK hit 40°C temperatures for the first time ever.
The heatwave had a huge knock-on effect on parks and green spaces, with the high temperatures transforming vibrant grass into parched ground.
Wildfires sparked across the country due to dry conditions.
The heat was so severe that England as a whole experienced the driest July since 1935, the Met Office has said today.
South-east and central southern England saw an average of only 5.0mm of rain last month, while East Anglia had 5.4mm.
For both areas it was the lowest amount of rainfall in July since Met Office records began almost 200 years ago, in 1836.
The figures come as Britain’s first hosepipe ban of the summer is due to be introduced.
Southern Water’s temporary use ban will come into force for around 1.5 million people covering parts of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight on August 5.
Bosses insisted there is no direct risk to customers’ water supplies but urged them to ‘act responsibly’ as they announced the measure.
Much of England already faces low river flows, with wider impacts on farmers and other water users, as well as wildlife.
Th country as a whole saw an average of 23.1mm of rain in July – the lowest figure for the month since 1935.
The UK-wide average did not rank quite so low, with 46.3mm of rainfall – the 19th lowest July total since 1836.
The Met Office figures also show that last month was provisionally one of the warmest Julys on record, with a mean temperature across the UK of 16.6C.
Dr Mark McCarthy of the National Climate Information Centre, said: ‘July 2022 has been a significantly dry month for southern England.
‘The dominant weather pattern for the month has only allowed interludes of rain into northern areas of the UK, with areas further south largely getting any rainfall from isolated and fleeting showers in a month that will ultimately be remembered for extreme heat.’
Northern Scotland received 98% – some 99.4mm – of its July rainfall, and was the only place that had rainfall totals modestly above their long-term averages for a few regions.
The record dry July for areas of England comes on the back of the driest eight-month period from November and June since 1976 in the country, with warnings the country could be in drought this month if the conditions continue.
Farmers have reported stress to crops including sugar beet and maize and challenges irrigating field veg and potatoes, while the dry weather has severely hampered grass growth which could hit supplies of feed for winter.
There have even be calls to ban disposable barbecues ‘before the next heatwave’ to prevent further blazes.
Some much needed rain is finally on its way for parts of the country however, with northern and western areas of the UK to benefit the most.
But few of the showers are expected to reach the south and the east, the Met Office said.
Asked what weather Brits face this week, Met Office forecast Greg Dewhurst replied: ‘A changeable picture will emerge over the coming days with it being on the warm and humid side.’
He said Monday would start ‘sunny and dry before turning wet and windy in north-eastern and western parts of the UK’.
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