Met Office Calls July's Weather Truly Exceptional As England and Wales Endure Driest July in 190 Years

Parts of the UK recorded zero rainfall for the entire month of July for the first time in history, highlighting the severity of the ongoing drought. The Met Office called July's weather truly exceptional, with England and Wales enduring their driest July in 190 years. Southern England averaged just 1.5 mm of rain, 2 percent of the 1991-2020 average, with temperatures 3.2°C above normal.

London's Kew Gardens saw no measurable rain, a first since 1871, while Heathrow logged 42 consecutive dry days, a record since 1948. Stratfield Mortimer also had no rain, and Wokingham recorded just 0.1 mm. Stephen Burt of the University of Reading noted some areas had no measurable rainfall for the first time since 1858. At least 20 Met Office stations across southern England reported zero July rainfall, including sites in Lincolnshire, Dorset, Kent, and Greater London. Ben Masschelein-Rodgers, a private weather station operator near Hampstead Heath, confirmed July 2026 was the first rainless month locally in records dating to 1871. More than half of England and all of Wales are officially in drought, with wildfires and crop warnings.