Drought persists across England and Wales despite recent rainfall
Recent rainfall has not ended drought conditions across Wales and most of England, with the Environment Agency warning more rain is needed.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The drought across most of England and all of Wales remains in place despite the wettest week since early February, according to the Environment Agency. The agency said that more rain fell last week than in any other week since February, but it has not been enough to ease the dry conditions that have left reservoirs and groundwater levels depleted.
The outlook is not entirely bleak, with more rain forecast for the coming days, but the longer-term picture is still concerning. The Environment Agency has calculated that England would need to receive 120% of its typical rainfall between now and the end of March to officially come out of drought. That is 20% more than would normally be expected over that period. This could be achieved through heavy downpours or multiple days of showers, but it does not necessarily require rain every single day.
Most of the UK is still officially in drought, with the south particularly affected and northern areas experiencing a prolonged dry spell. Current rainfall forecasts suggest that most of the country will recover to normal conditions by next spring, but East Anglia, Devon and Cornwall are still expected to remain in drought, with the Thames Valley still in a recovery phase.
This weekend’s forecast may make matters worse. High pressure is set to bring drier, hotter weather, with temperatures possibly reaching 26 to 28 degrees Celsius in the south. That will do nothing to help the recovery and could prolong the drought conditions in some areas.
Despite the recent rain, the overall message from the Environment Agency is clear: a great deal more rainfall is needed over a sustained period for the drought to truly end.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | ITV |
|---|---|---|
| All of Wales and most of England remained in drought. | ||
| England needs 120% of its typical rainfall from now until the end of March to be out of drought. | · | |
| Forecasts indicate most of the country will recover from drought by next spring, but East Anglia, Devon and Cornwall will remain in drought, and the Thames Valley will be in recovery. | · | |
| More rain was forecast for the week. | · | |
| The Environment Agency reported that last week had the most rainfall since early February. | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The channel gave a brief, factual update on the drought as part of a broader news bulletin. It highlighted the paradox of significant recent rainfall while drought conditions persist, and noted that more rain is forecast. The tone was straightforward, with no analysis of water levels or recovery projections.
- “More rain fell last week than any other week since early February, according to the Environment Agency.”
- “Despite the more unsettled conditions, all of Wales and most of England remains in drought.”
- “More rain is forecast, though, this week.”
The channel focused heavily on the Environment Agency's latest report, using a weather presenter to explain the scale of rainfall needed to end the drought. It provided detailed recovery timelines and highlighted which regions would remain in drought into next spring. The tone was explanatory but also emphasised the warning that hot, dry weather this weekend would worsen the situation.
- “In fact, a report from the Environment Agency that came out today said that England would need to see 120% of its typical rainfall from now until the end of March to actually be out of drought.”
- “That means we need 20% more than the expected rainfall we'd normally get over that time period.”
- “But the hot and dry weather that's coming this weekend certainly isn't going to help this situation.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.