"More than record-breaking" levels of rainfall would be needed in parts of the UK in order for them to recover following this summer's extreme heat, the Met Office has said. So far this year has been the driest since 1976.
Almost a third of the average amount of rain expected for the month of September in Southern England has fallen in just six days, at 20.3mm. But the area still needs more than 400mm of rainfall to reach the average amount of rain for the year, which would require the region to experience the wettest autumn ever.
The UK received 54% of average rainfall in August 2022, with England receiving 35%. Four of the six water companies currently implementing hosepipe bans are located in the South.
In 1976 there was a summer of severe drought for both England and the UK as a whole. That year downpours in the autumn made up for the summer shortfall.
Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: “It is possible that rainfall can recharge very quickly over a season, but it’s a slower process than I’m sure a lot of people would hope for.”
Mr Madge said "quite heavy rainfall" was expected in "a couple of locations" on Thursday (September 8). "The forecast is quite unsettled for the UK," he said.
He added that UK was now in a “rinse-and-repeat cycle of low-pressure systems”. These will continue to regularly deliver rain.
