The Met Office has given the exact date rain could finally end the dry heatwave with downpours for the parts of the UK that really need it – but even this is ‘tentative’, the forecaster has warned. Despite heavy rain in Scotland over the weekend, most of the rest of the UK has still been left high and dry – high temperatures with little to no rainfall.
As north-west Scotland was hit by half of a month’s rain in just two days on Friday and Saturday, other areas of the country continued to bake in dry, warm conditions. Temperatures will spike to a possible 36C in some areas on Wednesday and Thursday and the Met Office warned of the possible impact on infrastructure like railway lines and power networks, as heatwave conditions are likely to return for many.
Health officials have issued alerts, with significant impacts possible in health and social care settings and a potential rise in deaths because of the heat.
Yellow heat health alerts from the UK Health Security Agency are in place for the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and London, until 9pm on Tuesday.
Half of England and all of Wales have been plunged into drought and more regions could be declared when officials meet at the National Drought Group on Monday.
The Met Office pegged August 18 or 19 as the dates where rain might soak the drought-affected areas of the UK, but it’s still not confirmed, and in the meantime it will remain ‘really dry’.
Met Office forecaster Tom Morgan told the Press Association: “Unfortunately, in the south of the UK it’s looking really dry for the next week or so.
“Where we desperately need it (rain) in the particularly drought-affected areas, the week ahead is expected to be dry.
“There’s tentative signs from around August 18, 19, but a long way in the future, that we might see a little bit more in a way of rain getting further south across the UK, but nothing definitive at this stage.”
Meanwhile, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident on Sunday as two large fires in woodland put a strain on resources.
Several wildfires have broken out in the UK over recent weeks, including large blazes at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, Headon Warren on the Isle of Wight, Llanwonno in the Rhondda Valleys, South Wales, and the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland.
Hot weather continued to build on Sunday, with the south and south-eastern parts of England expected to have the highest temperatures.
According to the Fire Severity Index, any wildfires are likely to be exceptionally severe on Sunday in almost all of the east and south-east of England.
“Exceptional” severity is its highest ranking.