Blackheath’s grass has turned straw in color. Where people typically lay picnic blankets in Green Park, the ground is hard and cracked. Aerial photos of central London taken in late July reveal a landscape that doesn’t quite resemble England: the parks are like patches of bare earth between the roads, and the area is pale and scorched. Although it’s not particularly dramatic, the image is unique. This is not how Britain should look.
In 190 years of records, July 2026 was the driest in England and Wales. Over the course of the month, England received 6.5 mm of rain, which is less than half of the previous record set in 1911. Additionally, the Met Office reported that it was the sunniest July on record in the UK and the sunniest calendar month ever recorded for England and Wales. With only February falling short of the monthly average, six months of 2026 have seen above-average sunshine hours due to the unrelenting warmth. This year, 33 different days had recorded temperatures of 30°C or higher by early August.
Through early August, amber heat health alerts are in effect throughout London, the South East, the East of England, and the East Midlands. They warn that there will likely be a significant strain on health and social care services and that deaths among vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, people with heart, lung, or kidney conditions, and those living alone, may increase. Amber alerts are not given lightly by the UK Health Security Agency. The North West, Yorkshire, the West Midlands, and the South West are all under yellow alerts. The Home Counties and London may see temperatures as high as 34°C on Monday, August 4, with much of the south and east experiencing temperatures of 30°C or higher. Since an Atlantic low-pressure system is moving in from the west and its timing and trajectory will determine how quickly any relief arrives, it’s still unclear exactly how the week will unfold from there.
There is a specific structure to last week’s pattern. While Scotland and Northern Ireland deal with clouds, wind, and heavy rain that carries its own risks, such as surface water flooding, thunderstorms, and challenging driving conditions, the south and east bake. Parts of Northern Ireland are under a yellow thunderstorm warning on Tuesday, with the possibility of up to 30 mm of rain in an hour or two. Although it isn’t intentional, the contrast between one end of the country and the other is so striking that it almost seems that way. Following the pressure systems, it’s just weather.
The drought context is what makes the current situation more worrisome than a typical summer heat wave. Particularly in Southern England, there hasn’t been much precipitation for weeks, and wildfires have already started in a number of locations. According to the long-range Met Office forecast, conditions may become a little more erratic between August 8 and August 17, with frontal systems potentially impacting southern and eastern regions and providing some respite from the worst heat. Forecasters note that rainfall amounts will vary, with some regions receiving relatively little. According to WXCharts data, temperatures in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, and Essex could reach 31°C around August 13, which would cause the map to turn that recognizable deep red throughout the South East once more. If temperatures remain above 28°C for three days in a row, a fifth heatwave in London is still a real possibility, and the current trajectory indicates that is well within range.
It’s difficult to ignore that what was once an exceptional summer has begun to feel more resilient and less easy to write off as a one-time event. The records continue to fall—driest this, warmest that, sunniest ever—and each one becomes part of the overall record without quite coming to a definitive conclusion. People are checking on their elderly neighbors, drinking water, and looking for shade. The parks have been burned. Forecasts are constantly changing. The bus drivers are already refusing to work somewhere outside of London.
