The Guardian - More of England expected to enter drought status after hottest June on record
“The exceptionally dry weather of the spring continued in the east of Britain in June, and has resulted in some exceptionally low flows, many of which are similar to – or lower than – those seen in droughts like 1976, 2018 and 2022. Although the wet weather in June has led to some recovery in river flows and soil moisture levels in the west, this is unlikely to have eradicated the long-term deficits that have been established since the start of year, if not in late 2024 in some places.”
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This article from The Guardian outlines how England is facing escalating water shortages following its hottest June on record since 1884. With three heatwaves and a prolonged lack of rainfall, several regions are now at risk of entering drought status—prompting the expansion of hosepipe bans and water use restrictions across the country.
Officials from the UK Environment Agency (EA) and Met Office have confirmed that more areas will soon be designated as in drought, with Thames Water already imposing bans in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Wiltshire. Discussions around drought permits— which allow for emergency water extractions— are underway, though these actions carry significant risks to aquatic ecosystems.
Environmental advocates warn that poor water resource planning, underinvestment in infrastructure, and high leakage rates have made the UK especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. No major reservoirs have been built in England since 1992, and faulty infrastructure continues to leak billions of litres of water each day. As conditions worsen, agricultural production is also suffering, with irrigation limits forcing farmers to use winter feed and sacrifice key crops like carrots and potatoes.
Low river flows, harmful algal blooms, and fish die-offs have become more frequent, and reservoir levels across England’s canal systems are reportedly at their lowest in two decades. Hydrologists note that river flow conditions in some parts of the country are comparable to, or worse than, historic drought years such as 1976 and 2018.
As the climate continues to shift and water shortages become more common, long-term solutions are urgently needed. This includes modernizing water infrastructure, reducing leaks, investing in sustainable supply systems, and adapting management strategies to a changing hydrological cycle.
Projects like Canada1Water (C1W) demonstrate how integrated, national-scale hydrologic modelling can support proactive drought planning and climate adaptation. By simulating the full terrestrial water cycle C1W helps researchers and decision-makers prepare for dry conditions, inform policy, and safeguard ecosystems and communities. With regions around the world facing similar challenges, the need for forward-looking water intelligence has never been clearer.