In the wake of an adversely changing climate, news headlines around the world are replete with superlatives like hottest, warmest, wettest and driest. Likewise, the latest addition to the list comes from Britain where the Meteorological Office has termed the ongoing spring season to be the 'driest' in a century.
The Met Office revealed to BBC Weather that the UK’s average rainfall this spring stands at just 80 mm, compared to the usual 229 mm, marking the driest spring in more than 100 years.
The predominantly dry weather is expected to persist for at least another week. While reservoirs remain in a fairly healthy state, the Environment Agency has warned of a 'medium' risk of a summer drought.
Some areas, including Greater London, Hampshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Yorkshire, have endured 20 consecutive days without rainfall.
Although other regions have seen some measurable rain, May’s accumulations remain well below average.
Since March, parts of Wales and south-west England have received adequate rainfall, but overall, precipitation has been significantly lacking.
Alongside the unusual dryness, sunshine has been abundant. April was the UK’s sunniest on record, following the third sunniest March ever and May’s sunshine levels continue to exceed the average.
The National Drought Group recently stated that while no area is officially in drought, there is a 'medium risk of one this summer without sustained rainfall'.
The Environment Agency has called on water companies to strengthen water supply safeguards, adding that while no hosepipe bans are currently planned, such measures may be introduced if dry conditions persist. The agency, alongside Natural Resources Wales, will monitor the situation closely.
The UK last faced an official drought in summer 2022, when hosepipe bans affected 19 million customers. Reservoir levels that spring were around 90 per cent full, compared to roughly 80 per cent this year.
Additionally, spring 2022 saw about 78 per cent of expected rainfall, while this year has recorded just 35 per cent so far.