Up to now July 2022 has been the driest July in England since 1911. As much as 26 July there was solely 15.8mm of rain averaged throughout England; that is solely 24% of the quantity we’d count on in a mean July.
At this stage within the month we’d count on to have seen nicely over three-quarters of the month’s rain to have already fallen in a mean July.
The state of affairs for the UK is a little bit higher. Because it stands, July 2022 remains to be the eighth driest July since 1836. With solely 37.7mm of rain having fallen up to now it’s the driest July since 1984. Scotland has been nearer to common within the north and west, however drier circumstances have prevailed for south and east Scotland. General Scotland (71%), Wales (39%) and Northern Eire (43%) have been dry, however probably the most excessive circumstances are in East Anglia and southeast England.
As steadily occurs there’s a distinction between the northwest of the UK, the place some areas, within the far north of Scotland, have already reached round common rainfall – and the southeast that are trying extraordinarily dry certainly.
Dry month
With a little bit technique to run earlier than the tip of the month, there may be nonetheless time for the state of affairs to shift barely. Nonetheless, with little vital rain forecast for south and east England, there may be scant prospect of a big enchancment inside the subsequent week or two a minimum of. For all July 2022 will likely be remembered as a dry month and is prompting some within the media to contemplate the prospect of drought.
Drought isn’t inside the Met Workplace’s remit; as an alternative, the Surroundings Company takes the lead on drought in England, with Pure Assets Wales taking accountability in Wales; NIEA in Northern Eire and SEPA in Scotland. There are numerous elements past rainfall, comparable to water demand and the extent of earlier rainfall, that drought planners have to contemplate.
Mark McCarthy, Head of the Met Workplace Nationwide Local weather Info Centre, stated: “It’s not simply July that has been dry. For the reason that begin of the 12 months, all months aside from February have been drier than common within the UK too. The results of that is that the winter, spring and summer time of 2022 have all seen lower than the UK common seasonal rainfall.
“England has seen the bottom ranges throughout these intervals and, rainfall totals for the primary six months of the 12 months are round 25% under their long-term common, with the driest areas within the east and southeast.”
Drier than 1976?
The shortage of rainfall via sequential months and seasons turns into vital when trying again through the years because the 8-month interval from November 2021 to June 2022 has been the driest in England since 1975/76, with a mean of 421mm of rain falling in England, 74% of the 1991-2020 long-term common of 568 mm.
Nonetheless, the 12 months up to now can’t be in contrast too intently to 1976, as regardless of the dry pattern England had 30% extra rain through the first six months of the 12 months than in 1976. Although the statistics don’t essentially should be historic to have results and the Surroundings Company has suggested ‘There are at present no plans for restrictions on important water use, we are able to all do our bit by decreasing pointless water consumption and following recommendation from our water firm to make sure this stays the case while our rivers are exceptionally low.’
Local weather change
Mark McCarthy continued: “Met Workplace local weather change projections spotlight an rising pattern in the direction of hotter and drier summers for the UK, with the driest areas anticipated to be within the south and east. Whereas tendencies in summer time temperature and heatwaves are very obvious within the local weather information of latest many years, the big variability in our rainfall signifies that it’s too quickly to have the ability to detect the sample in summer time rainfall.”
Persistent excessive stress has not solely introduced lots of dry climate this month, it has additionally resulted in a hotter month up to now too. Since across the 6th temperatures have typically been above common. Heatwave circumstances had been skilled round 10th-13th and once more from the 16th with an distinctive sizzling spell through the 18th and 19th July. And so early provisional stats for July present, the typical most temperature throughout the UK at present stands at 21.5°C, 2°C greater than the UK common for the month and it at present sits inside the high 5 warmest Julys on document. The present warmest July on document was in 2006 when the typical most temperature for the UK was 23.3°C.
July’s full provisional climate and local weather statistics will likely be revealed on 1 August.
