WIREDGOV

A prolonged heatwave, exceptionally low rainfall and widespread drought conditions have combined to make July 2026 a remarkable month.

Early provisional Met Office statistics, covering the period up to and including 30 July, show that both England and Wales are on course to record their driest July in 190 years, with several counties across England having seen less than 1mm of rainfall during the entire month so far.

With more than half of England and the entirety of Wales officially in drought, the month has been characterised by an exceptional combination of extreme heat, abundant sunshine and an almost complete absence of rainfall in some areas.

While one day of the month remains and figures are therefore subject to change, the emerging picture is one of a truly exceptional July, particularly across England and Wales.

Rainfall: England and Wales on course to record their driest July in 190 years

Provisional rainfall statistics to 30 July show:

• England is currently tracking its driest July on record, with just 5.6mm of rainfall recorded so far – just 8% of its long-term meteorological average for the month and less than half of the previous record of 13.4mm set in 1911.
• Wales is currently tracking its driest July on record, with 7.9mm of rainfall – just 8% of its long-term meteorological average for the month and almost a third of the previous record of 22.6mm set in 1911.
• The UK is currently tracking its third driest July on record, with only 35% of average rainfall – the driest July nationally since 1868.
• Northern Ireland is currently tracking its eighth driest July on record, with just 27% of average rainfall.
• Scotland has recorded 72% of average rainfall and is not currently within its top ten driest Julys.

Southern England has been particularly dry, seeing 1.5mm of rainfall – just 2% of its long-term average rainfall for the month.

Met Office Scientist Dr Emily Carlisle, recently said:

"The headline story for July is undoubtedly the rainfall. Across parts of England and Wales we've seen extraordinarily low totals, with some locations recording little or no meaningful rainfall for much of the month.

“Provisional figures suggest this could be one of the driest Julys in nearly two centuries of records, which is particularly notable when coupled with the exceptional heat experienced so far this summer."

This map shows rainfall amounts from 1-30 July, compared with the average for the full month

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