England has experienced its driest July since records began in ۱۸۳۶, receiving only ۶.۵mm of rainfall – ۱۰% of the country’s long-term meteorological average for the month. Wales also experienced its driest-ever July, while Northern Ireland recorded it was its eighth driest. Scotland was the only country in the UK not to set new records but still received only ۶۹% of its average rainfall for July compared with the long-term average. Southern England has faced the worst of the dry conditions with some areas, including the Sussex coast, receiving less than ۰.۲mm of rain in July. This has resulted in widespread low moisture content within the soil, enabling temperatures to reach the high ۳۰s celsius.
Looking ahead, despite notable spells of rain in the north, parts of southern England may receive only the odd shower for the rest of August. Throughout summer, forecast models have hinted at more unsettled weather reaching the south-east of England at a ۱۰-day range. However, as time edged closer the rain was largely been confined to north-western parts of Britain, failing to reach the south-east with any significance. With much uncertainty within forecast models, the risk of this dry period persisting is not out of the question.
There is a disturbance in the Atlantic, approximately ۱,۰۰۰ miles east of the Lesser Antilles. The National Hurricane Centre has predicted an ۸۰% chance of the cyclone forming in the next ۴۸ hours as a short-lived tropical depression. If such a system does strengthen, it will become the fourth named storm of the ۲۰۲۶ Atlantic hurricane season and would be named Dolly. Regardless of any development, there will be a risk of gusty winds and heavy rainfall in Lesser Antilles on Friday night and into Saturday. This year’s strong El Niño is expected to play a significant role in lessening hurricane activity within the Atlantic.
In India, the monsoon continues to cause devastation, particularly in eastern regions where flooding in Assam has caused ۱۰۰ deaths as of ۱۰ August. Flooding caused by rivers overflowing has resulted in ۷۰۰,۰۰۰ people being displaced over the last month. This includes ۳۰۰,۰۰۰ displaced near the Brahmaputra, one of the largest rivers in Asia. The monsoon also brought significant lightning, which resulted in the deaths of ۱۴ people in eastern India on the ۴ August, including ۱۰ in the district of Giridih. Many of the dead were farm workers, caught in open agricultural fields where there is a lack of shelter to provide safety when such storms arrive.
