July 2026 may be recognized as the driest for England and Wales.

According to experts, July 2026 may be recognized as the driest for England and Wales in the entire history of observations due to extreme heat. This was reported on August 2 by The Guardian newspaper.

"Half of England and all of Wales are officially in a state of drought, and July is forecast to be the driest month on record as extreme heat, exacerbated by the climate crisis, continues to engulf the UK and Europe this summer," the material says.

Since May, England and Wales have been hit by four record heat waves that have led to massive wildfires and left farmers and wildlife without water.

In July, only 7% of the average annual precipitation fell in England, and only 1% in the south of England, which caused damage to greenery in parks, protected areas and sports grounds. The drought has also led to a decrease in the level of rivers and lakes.

According to The Guardian, farmers across the UK are forced to harvest their crops ahead of time — they are afraid of losing it in case of water shortages. According to the newspaper, 393 forest fires were recorded in England and Wales in July.

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On the same day, Bloomberg reported that Europe's heavy industry is suffering due to the drying up of the region's largest rivers amid the prolonged heat wave that has hit the continent. According to forecasts, no significant improvement in the situation with rivers in Europe is expected in the near future, the article says.