Environment Agency declares drought across seven regions – will more hosepipe bans follow?

More than half of England is now officially in drought after the Environment Agency declared seven regions under drought conditions following an exceptionally hot and dry summer. Here’s which areas are affected and whether more hosepipe bans could follow.

More than half of England is officially in drought.

The declaration follows an exceptionally hot and dry summer that has left rivers running low, soils parched and water resources under increasing pressure. England received just 7% of its average July rainfall, while southern England saw only around 1% of its typical monthly total, prompting the Environment Agency to escalate its response.

Which areas are now officially in drought?

The Environment Agency has declared drought across seven regions of England:

East Anglia Hertfordshire and London Thames Valley Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Devon and Cornwall West Midlands Wessex, covering Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire The Environmen

t Agency considers a range of factors before declaring a drought, including rainfall, river flows, groundwater levels, reservoir storage and the impacts on the environment and water supplies.This year’s dr

ought has developed rapidly after an exceptionally dry late spring and summer. While January and February brought plenty of rainfall, helping to replenish reservoirs and groundwater, the prolonged spell of hot, dry weather since then has quickly depleted moisture in soils, vegetation and rivers.The Environmen

t Agency says the impacts are already being felt, with low river flows, earlier-than-normal harvests and an increased risk of wildfires across parts of England.Today’s announ

cement marks the third official drought in England in the

Original Record.

This archived record authored by ‘Helena Mottram’ at ‘METEORED (Your Weather)’ was recovered from data set:

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