England braces for fifth heatwave as drought deepens

England was bracing for a fifth widespread heatwave of the year as temperatures were set to rise again after a cooler Monday. The latest dry weather and drought summaries from the Environment Agency, covering 10 to 16 July, 17 to 23 July and 31 July to 6 August, showed how quickly the summer’s heat and lack of rain had driven conditions toward drought.

By 29 July, more than half of England was in drought, with central, eastern and southern parts of the country affected. In July, the Environment Agency warned that several areas could move towards or into drought the following week, a sign that the dry spell was being watched week by week rather than as a short-lived hot spell.

The rainfall numbers underline how severe the summer had become. BBC Weather said July 2026 was the driest July for England and Wales since records began 190 years ago, with England receiving just 6.5mm of rain and Wales 9.3mm. Reuters later said England and Wales had recorded their driest-ever July. Sky News put the scale of the shortage even more starkly, saying England had received only 7% of its expected rainfall in July, while southern England had seen just 1%.

The Met Office described the month as one of record dryness, unprecedented sunshine and exceptional warmth. BBC coverage added another sign of strain: satellite imagery showed marked differences in plant health across south-east England compared with 2025, a clear indicator of how prolonged heat and dryness were affecting the landscape as well as the weather.

The concern now is no longer just uncomfortable temperatures. Repeated heatwaves, extreme dryness and drought across large parts of England are putting pressure on water supplies and on the systems that depend on them, from households to hospitals and transport. If this becomes the fifth widespread heatwave of the year, it will deepen the strain already visible in the south, east and centre of the country.