The first UK region has officially declared a drought amid record dry conditions, intense heatwaves, wildfires and dwindling rivers.
Drought has been declared in North Wales and the Upper Severn, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said.
NRW, the Welsh Government’s environmental agency, said the decision to trigger drought status follows continued hot, dry weather over recent weeks.
July is on course to become the driest on record for Wales for almost 190 years without significant rainfall in the next week.
Much of England is experiencing prolonged dry weather, receiving just 3 per cent of its average July rainfall.
This has led to hosepipe bans affecting 23 million customers, with warnings restrictions could remain all summer.
Wildfires have also broken out across England, while Scotland battled a major blaze in the Cairngorms, and the Republic of Ireland imposed a nationwide hosepipe ban.
These severe conditions follow last year’s drought summer, underscoring the UK’s growing susceptibility to extreme weather.
Experts attribute this trend to human-caused climate change, primarily driven by fossil fuel combustion.
What areas are affected?
In Wales, exceptionally dry conditions have led to drying riverbeds, mounting concern from farmers about grazing and water availability, and significantly increased the risk of wildfires – with North Wales in particular experiencing a number of major blazes in recent weeks.
The areas affected by the drought status declaration include North Gwynedd, Ynys Mon, South Gwynedd, Dee (Wales), Clwyd, and Upper Severn.
North Wales and the Upper Severn has received less than 2% of the expected rainfall for the month so far, with river flows across large parts of the region exceptionally low, and some locations recording or approaching record lows.
In many areas of North Wales, there has been no significant rainfall since July 6, NRW said.
Monitoring by the agency also shows groundwater levels continue to fall and river temperatures have been high.
All remaining catchments across south-west Wales have also moved from “normal” to “prolonged dry weather” status, following the same change in status last week for south-east Wales.
As a result, all of Wales is now either in drought or prolonged dry weather status.
NRW said it declared drought when a combination of indicators show a significant shortage of rainfall and water availability, affecting rivers, groundwater, agriculture, natural systems and land management.
While water companies report that reservoir levels remain healthy overall, NRW is urging people use water wisely.
Rhian Thomas, sustainable water and nature manager at NRW, said: “The prolonged period of hot, dry weather we have experienced this summer is now having serious impacts on the environment across parts of Wales.
“We have seen rivers fall to exceptionally low levels, groundwater continuing to decline, and increasing reports of environmental impacts affecting wildlife, fisheries, farming and sensitive habitats.
“The recent wildfires across North Wales and South East Wales are one of the clearest and most visible signs of how dry our landscapes have become.
“Our teams continue to work closely with fire and rescue services, local partners and land managers to respond to these incidents and reduce risks where possible.”
She said: “While drought status does not automatically mean water shortages for customers, it does reflect the growing pressure being placed on our environment.
“We are asking everyone to play their part by using water wisely and helping to protect Wales’ natural resources during this exceptionally dry period.”
Yellow health alerts declared
As warm weather continues, yellow heat health alerts – warning of minor impacts for health and social care services – have been issued in England for the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, East of England, and London running from 9am on Friday to 9am on Sunday.
The Met Office said temperatures would be more towards average for the time of the year, in the low to mid 20Cs, although into next week Tuesday could be warmer.
While the south is expected to remain dry, there is some rain in the forecast and parts of northern Scotland could see 10-15mm (0.4-0.6 inches) of rain over a few hours on Saturday, while 30mm (1.2 inches) could fall in parts of west Scotland.
But just 3-4mm (0.1 inches) is expected further south on Saturday and Sunday, with Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon warning: “Although some areas will have more than they have seen in a while, it’s not the heavy rain that some areas may be after in terms of topping up water supplies.”
