Yorkshire declared in drought after prolonged dry weather
Yorkshire has become the latest UK region to be declared in drought after a prolonged spell of exceptionally dry weather, joining central, southern and eastern England.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Yorkshire has become the latest part of the UK to be declared in drought after a prolonged period of exceptionally dry weather. The Environment Agency said the hot summer left rivers and reservoirs in the county low. The county now joins all of central, southern and eastern England in drought status.
Drought is not just about the weather on the day. It reflects rainfall over months, and the UK has just had its hottest summer on record for Yorkshire. It was also one of the driest. In some Yorkshire reservoirs, water levels are visibly low, even though autumn rains would normally be expected by October.
Most of England is already in drought. Only the north east and north west have escaped drought status, and they are in the category just below drought. Much of Wales is also still in drought. Scotland and Northern Ireland have not been hit as hard.
The Environment Agency warned that England needs 120 percent of average rainfall from now through to April to get the whole country out of drought. There is no sign of a respite soon. September was drier than normal, and the short-term forecast is not much better, with most rain expected in northern and western parts of the UK. Wetter weather could arrive later this year, driven in part by a strong El Nino, but that is not guaranteed.
For Yorkshire, this is the third drought in five years. The Environment Agency says climate change is driving the pattern, making UK summers hotter and drier.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Ending drought across England would require 120 per cent of average rainfall from the reporting period until April. | |
| Yorkshire was declared in drought after an exceptionally dry period, with the Environment Agency reporting low rivers and reservoirs in the region. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West covered the declaration as a straight news item, leading with the official drought status for Yorkshire and then widening to the national picture. Its reporting stressed the Environment Agency's rainfall arithmetic and attributed the county's third drought in five years to climate change. The second bulletin repeated the same package in a shorter form, with unrelated football and political items following.
- “The people of Yorkshire have become the latest in the UK to be told they're living in a drought area”
- “It said England needs a hundred and twenty percent of average rainfall From now all the way through to April to get the whole country out of drought”
- “this is Yorkshire's third drought in five years driven the Environment Agency says by you guessed it climate change which is making the UK summers hotter and drier”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.