Some experts say it is likely we will see temperatures of 40C or more this month and August 2023 could be the hottest on record. Leading bookmaker Coral makes it odds-on at 4-6 for temperatures to reach as high as 40C in the UK this month.
And the firm goes 1-2 for this month to end as the hottest August since records began. "July was a record-breaking month in the UK, and our betting suggests we could be set for something similar in August," said Coral's John Hill.
"Not only have we cut the odds on August ending as the hottest ever in the UK, we make it odds-on for temperature to reach 40C," added Hill.
The Met Office has warned there is “very little meaningful rain” on the horizon for parched areas of England as temperatures are set to climb into the 30s next week.
While it could mean another heatwave. Southern Water said it is asking customers “to limit your use to reduce the risk of further restrictions and disruption to water supplies, but more importantly to protect our local rivers”.
South East Water said it had been “left with no choice but to restrict the use of hosepipes and sprinklers” from midnight on August 12 within Kent and Sussex “until further notice”.
The firm added that it was taking the step “to ensure we have enough water for both essential use and to protect the environment” and to enable a reduction in the amount of water “we need to take from already stressed local water sources”.
Other water firms have so far held off bringing in restrictions despite low water levels, though some say they may need to implement bans if the dry weather continues. Householders who have not yet been hit by restrictions are being urged to avoid using hosepipes for watering the garden or cleaning the car.
Thames Water’s desalination plant, at Beckton, east London, which was built to deliver up to 100 million litres of water a day in dry weather events, is currently out of service. Parts of England have seen the driest July in records dating back to 1836, following the driest eight-month period from November 2021 for the country since 1976.
There are indications of a return to more changeable weather conditions from about mid-August, the Met Office said. Nature campaigners have criticised water companies for leaving it to “the last possible moment” to bring in restrictions, when rivers are in a “desperate” state, and for last-minute announcements that spur an increase in water demand before hosepipe bans come in.
Mark Lloyd, chief executive of The Rivers Trust, said: “Every year we get to this perilous position and at the last possible moment, when the rivers are at their lowest, we get discussion of temporary use bans.
“Announcing it at the last minute causes people to rush to wash their cars and fill their paddling pools, wash the dog, and causes an increase in demand before the ban comes in. This should happen before the rivers come to a desperate condition and there’s not enough water for wildlife.”
The Rivers Trust is calling for accelerated metering, rapid reduction in leakage, support for households to reduce water usage, such as installing low flow toilets and water butts, and sustainable drainage including rain gardens, wetlands and permeable paving to build up local stores of water underground.
Met Office chief forecaster Steve Willington said: “Many areas of the UK, especially the south, will witness temperatures several degrees higher than average, but these values are likely to be well below the record-breaking temperatures we saw in mid-July.
“As the high pressure builds there is very little meaningful rain in the forecast, especially in those areas in the south of England, which experienced very dry conditions last month.”
He added that weather fronts could bring some rain to north-western parts of the UK.
Rebekah Sherwin, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said the heat was due to temperatures building within a lingering area of high pressure – unlike the record-breaking heatwave last month when hot air drawn up from Europe added to already hot conditions in the UK.
Early August sunshine does not have the heating potential of the July sun, she added.
“Both of these factors suggest that we’re very unlikely to see temperatures peak much above low to mid-30s. However, this would still be a hot spell of weather,” she said.
There are indications of a return to more changeable conditions from about mid-August, the Met Office said.
