UK weather: Another heatwave on the way as heat health alerts issued

With parts of eastern Scotland in significant water scarcity, the whole of Wales and more than half of England in drought, there has been relief that some areas have seen some rain this week, particularly parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.

However, not enough fell in the drought-hit south to provide any meaningful relief with another water company introducing a ban on hosepipe use for its customers in Essex and Suffolk on Monday.

There is no defined amount of rain that would see a drought end. It depends on a number of factors including how much rain falls, where it falls, and how regular or prolonged the downpours are.

The speed at which rivers, reservoirs and groundwater storage tops up is also important, but this needs to be balanced out against the demand we and industry put on water supply.

The drought in 2025, which lasted around six months for some, only ended in the autumn when the UK experienced “weather whiplash” – a sudden change in weather patterns that brought weeks of above-average rainfall.

Despite forecasts showing our weather becoming slightly more variable over the next few weeks, including further hotter spells again, dry conditions continue to dominate for many and there is still no sign of any drought-busting rainfall.