Image source, Getty Images

Various warnings have been issued relating to heat and rainfall as drought conditions are being watched closely across the UK.

Here's a closer look at the key terms:

Drought: There is no single definition of drought, but it typically refers to a period of prolonged dry weather that can have impacts on people, nature and the environment.

The Environment Agency says some droughts are short and intense, caused by a hot and dry summer, while others are long and develop over multiple seasons due to low rainfall. Natural Resources Wales agrees that "every drought is different".

Water scarcity: This is the term used by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) to measure drought conditions. It refers to a lack of fresh water resources to meet standard demands.

Unlike the dry conditions in England and Wales, parts of north-west Scotland saw half a month’s rainfall over the weekend.

Heat health alert: These are warnings from the UK Health Security Agency that temperatures across England are "likely to impact on the health and wellbeing of the population". There are four levels ranging from green (least severe) to red (most severe).

The system is designed to help reduce illness and deaths during periods of extreme temperatures.

Extreme heat warnings: Issued by the Met Office, amber or red extreme heat warnings can be issued across all parts of the UK if the impacts are deemed severe enough.

The BBC understands the Met Office is considering issuing such a warning as the current heatwave intensifies.

Oliver Slow
Reporting from Cardiff

Image source, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service

The dry conditions in Wales have contributed to several wildfires across the country in recent weeks, and crews are currently tackling a large blaze on moorland in Blaenau Gwent.

A helicopter has been deployed to tackle the fire near Llangyndir Reservoir, Ebbw Vale, which was declared a major incident on Sunday.

Nick Rees, from Mid & West Fire and Rescue Service, said it was "envisioning a busy week" with the potential for "wildfires across the country".

He said one of the challenges crews are facing is the wind.

"We are very much susceptible to the change in wind conditions, which can push the fire and particularly the smoke into different directions," Rees told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

• Read more on this story

Simon King
Lead weather presenter, BBC Weather

With bone dry conditions continuing this week there will be some concern about wildfires.

The Met Office’s Fire Severity Index for Wednesday shows that if a wildfire were to occur in much of central and southern England it could become "exceptional" - the highest level on the index.

Elsewhere across England and Wales the index is at level four, or "very high".

According to the Met Office, the Fire Severity Index evaluates how severe a wildfire could become if one were to ignite under current weather conditions - but is not a prediction of when or where wildfires will start.

Image source, Arcgis/Natural England

In England's New Forest region, crews are continuing to tackle a heathland fire after a van caught fire on a neighbouring road.

Forestry England says the fire, which it describes as "significant", is now estimated to have affected more than 100 hectares (one square kilometre) of heathland - roughly the size of 140 football pitches.

A heathland is an ecologically important habitat home to a wide range of wildlife and sensitive wetlands.

In a statement, Forestry England adds the flames initially spread from the A31 to Bratley Wood but has since extended to the surrounding area.

"Incidents like this can be devastating to all of the things that make the New Forest so special," it says.

• For more updates on this story, head to our dedicated live page

Madeleine Lake
Live reporter

Jimmy O'Keeffe, whose picnic was interrupted by a small whirlwind in a London park on Sunday, tells me he was "shocked and in total disbelief".

The 35-year-old captured footage of the weather phenomenon - known as a dust devil - as it moved through Greenwich Park.

In the video, people can be seen getting up from the ground and screaming as the whirlwind surrounds them.

O'Keeffe tells me that it was "powerful" to see. "All the leaves were rustling and shaking next to us, and dust was everywhere."

He added that most people stayed calm, and that fortunately his picnic food had a "lucky escape."

The dust devil, which O'Keeffe says lasted only a few minutes, is a phenomenon which forms on warm, sunny days and is visible due to the dust or hay that they pick up and swirl around.

These conditions are typically found in desert and semi-arid areas.

Mark Poynting
Climate reporter

The frequency of drought is not easy to measure as there is no single definition.

For example, agricultural drought is different from meteorological drought - which is just a measure of how much rain has fallen compared with average.

The Environment Agency looks at all the different impacts before declaring a drought.

Drought declarations are not uncommon. As a very rough rule of thumb, notable droughts have historically happened a couple of times a decade over the past 50 years - although the droughts can vary widely in duration and scale.

This summer's drought is the third in five years for parts of England, which is unusual.

Droughts happen naturally but scientists have said that climate change is raising the risks, with higher summer temperatures drying out soils more quickly. This can turn a rainfall deficit into a more severe and longer-lasting drought.

Climate change is also expected to bring drier summers on average for the UK, although there has been no clear trend in summer rainfall so far.

Satellite images show impact of dry summerpublished at 13:00 BST

13:00 BST

By Thomas Copeland

We're analysing satellite imagery showing the impact of the lack of rain across England and Wales.

Clywedog reservoir near Llanidloes in mid-Wales provides water to central and north-west England. Water levels have fallen in recent weeks, according to government data, and it is now considered to be "exceptionally low".

A comparison of satellite imagery shows far more of the reservoir’s banks are exposed this summer compared with 2025 while the surrounding landscape also appears much browner.

At Stonehenge, the world-famous standing stones in Wiltshire, a side-by-side view shows how the fields around the site were green in July 2025 but are parched this summer due to the lack of rain.

Image source, EPA

Further parts of England are expected to be officially declared as being in a drought later today as England and Wales head towards what is likely to be the fifth heatwave of the year.

We've pulled together the latest:

Temperatures

Heat health alerts across most of England have been upgraded to amber this morning and will remain in place until 21:00 on Friday with the North East under a yellow warning for the same time period.

Temperatures are forecast to peak on Thursday with possible highs of 36C in the South East and up to 35C likely across central and eastern England.

Drought

A drought has already been declared across Wales and in large parts of England in the wake of persistent high temperatures and a long period without significant rainfall.

Parts of southern England have now had almost two months without notable rain, while further areas of the country are expected to also be declared in drought when the National Drought Group meets later today.

Scotland and Northern Ireland are not experiencing the same conditions.

Fires

The heat and lack of rainfall have also made it hard for emergency services to get fires under control.

The weekend saw a spate of fires across the Midlands, east of England and the South East as firefighters continue to tackle a blaze in Hampshire that began with a vehicle fire and has spread to nearby heathland in the New Forest.

The heat records are piling up in the UK and around the worldpublished at 12:18 BST

12:18 BST

Justin Rowlatt
Climate editor

What’s really striking about this summer is not any single record, but the way these weather extremes are piling up.

Climate change does not cause every heatwave or drought, but it does shift the odds.

By raising average temperatures, it makes extreme heat more likely. And, when rain fails, it increases evaporation and dries soils faster.

That creates a feedback - dry ground cools the air less, allowing temperatures to climb still higher.

The UK is now seeing the kind of hotter, drier summers climate scientists have long projected. And this is part of a global pattern of heat.

July 2026 was the joint second warmest July globally on record – 1.47C above the pre-industrial average – only July 2023 was warmer. And this morning the EU weather service, Copernicus, announced that Western Europe had its hottest June and July on record helping to drive the devastating wildfires we have seen.

Image source, Uros Arsic_AFP_via Getty Images

Mark Poynting
Climate reporter

Official drought declarations are made by the Environment Agency in England, but water companies can also apply for “drought permits” and “drought orders”.

These are designed to help them manage water resources during periods of exceptionally low rainfall.

Drought permits temporarily modify water companies’ licences, which can allow them to take extra water from the environment such as a river.

Drought orders go a step further and means the companies or the Environment Agency can limit who is taking water from the system and how much they use.

It requires approval by the Environment Secretary in England.

In last summer’s drought, 46 drought permits and two drought orders were granted.

This summer, South West Water has already applied for a drought permit, while other companies are considering drought permits and orders, according to the Environment Agency.

Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent

Image source, Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images

The Canal & River Trust's rule requiring boats without a home mooring to move every 14 days has been suspended until the end of August.

The step is meant to cut non-essential journeys and, with them, the operating of locks. The trust says this uses thousands of litres of water each time a boat passes through.

Boaters are being urged to share locks and to flag unusually low stretches so crews can top them up.

River flows across much of the country have dropped to below normal or lower for the time of year, and reservoir stocks stood at 69% in the week to 6 August - well short of what summer would normally bring, with five reservoirs now classed as exceptionally low, according to the Environment Agency.

That figure is now a week old and, after further dry weather, is likely to have fallen since.

The impact on rivers is not just a British problem.

Low water levels risk halting cargo traffic on a key stretch of the Rhine this week. The Federal Association of German Inland Navigation says this important route might no longer be fully navigable and might be split into two separate zones.

Katie Williams
Live reporter

Many parts of the UK saw record-breaking rainfall at the start of the year. It might leave you wondering why there are now hosepipe bans and drought conditions.

I asked two experts this very question.

"This is what climate projections warned us about", says Jess Neumann, associate professor in hydrology at the University of Reading. She references "dramatic swings" in weather conditions.

Hosepipe bans that came into effect earlier this year weren't necessarily because water wasn't available, but because some companies simply couldn't process and treat it quickly enough to keep up with demand, she says.

As summer has progressed, there has been "no measurable rain" in some areas with rivers "literally drying up", she adds.

Anna Murgatroyd, lecturer in hydrology at Newcastle University, says we started the year with "really healthy reservoir stocks" but a dry spring and summer combined with "very high water demand" have made conditions "rife for drought".

Simon King
Lead weather presenter, BBC Weather

Image source, EPA

Given the forecast temperatures this week, we understand the Met Office may be considering issuing extreme heat warnings as the heatwave intensifies.

As we saw during the extreme heat in June, if impacts are deemed severe enough, they can issue either amber or red warnings.

On that occasion amber warnings were issued widely across England and Wales with a rare red warning that was issued for parts of South East England as temperatures rose into the high 30s.

These warnings, along with the UK’s health security agency heat health alerts mean that there could not only be impacts to health but also infrastructure such as power supplies and the transport network.

We’ll of course keep you up to date if there are any warnings issued from the Met Office in the coming days.

Oliver Slow
Reporting from Cardiff

Image source, Getty Images

A drought was extended across the whole of Wales last week, with the hot and dry weather having widespread impacts.

The country’s environmental body Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said sustained high temperatures had caused the condition of the natural environment to “deteriorate”, including record-low river levels, dry soils and widespread wildfires.

It had previously announced a drought across the north and parts of mid Wales.

NRW said its teams were dealing with reports of "wide-reaching impacts to the environment" and that "conditions across Wales' natural environment have continued to deteriorate".

This includes drying riverbeds, fish in distress, an accumulation of algae, wildfire risk and concerns from farmers about crop growth, grazing conditions and water availability for livestock.

Catherine Lyst
Reporting from Glasgow

In contrast to the drought conditions in England and Wales, north-west Scotland has been hit by half a month’s rain in two days.

The Met Office says there was more than 100mm (3.9in) of rain on Friday and Saturday.

However, BBC Scotland weather presenter Joy Dunlop says temperatures in some parts of Scotland could rise as high as 29C later in the week.

As you can see from these images, parched ground has not been an issue in Scotland with lush greenery still on display.

Simon King
Lead weather presenter, BBC Weather

July was the driest on record across England and Wales and there has been no significant rain into August.

Up to 8 August, on average, there has only been 3.7mm across England and Wales combined - just 4% of the monthly average.

The current driest August was in 1995 where a total of 9.4mm was recorded.

August is typically the wettest summer month with an average of 94mm across the UK, compared to July with 82mm or June with 77mm.

However, as the fifth widespread heatwave of the year develops this week there’s no significant rain in the forecast for England and Wales.

By the end of this week many parts of southern England will have gone two months without any notable rain.

Image source, EPA

Image source, Jehanna Stride

With high temperatures and an extended dry spell across much of England and Wales, wildfires have been seen across multiple parts of the country.

This weekend saw another spate that included areas across the Midlands, east of England and South East.

• In Cambridgeshire, more than 80 firefighters have been working to tackle a blaze that broke out on Saturday on Holme Fen peat nature reserve - the second fire at the site in two weeks
• A "major incident" was declared by fire and rescue services in Nottinghamshire, after multiple call-outs - including to a major woodland fire that burned across both Saturday and Sunday at Strawberry Hill Heath in Rainworth - placed "significant pressure on operational resources"
• Norfolk saw some homes badly damaged after a wildfire spread in Kenninghall on Sunday - no injuries were reported but aerial pictures showed the destroyed roofs of two homes
• And firefighters are still working to put out a fire in the New Forest inHampshire, which spread after a van caught alight on Sunday afternoon. Emergency services have said that multiple crews are working in "challenging conditions" to control the blaze

Image source, Lee Watson

In Hampshire, firefighters have worked through the night and are continuing to tackle a blaze that began with a vehicle fire and has spread across heathland in the New Forest.

The fire created a smoke plume that has been visible for miles - and can still be seen drifting over the national park today.

It broke out on the A31 near Ringwood shortly after 17:20 BST on Sunday with some motorists forced to abandon their vehicles.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service (HIWFRS) says crews in 10 fire engines and 10 off-road vehicles continue to work to bring the fire under control "in challenging conditions".

The video below was captured by local resident Debs Stafford on Sunday evening.

• We've got a separate live page, covering the latest on this

Simon King
Lead weather presenter, BBC Weather

The UK Health Security Agency have just upgraded the heat health alerts to amber for most of England from Tuesday to Friday.

They warn that significant impacts are likely across social and health care services due to high temperatures.

Impacts are likely for those over 65 or with health conditions but there may also be impacts to younger age groups too.

Amber alerts are in place for all regions of England, aside from the North East, which is under a yellow alert for the same period.

The heatwave will start to develop from Tuesday and then intensify for many, peaking on Thursday or Friday.

And just as we saw during the June and July heatwaves, it will be extreme for some with temperatures into the mid-30s Celsius.

The hottest weather on Tuesday is likely to be across the Midlands, central southern England and east Wales where temperatures will rise to 28 to 30C.

By Wednesday the heat will spread more widely across England and Wales, with temperatures widely 30 to 32C.

Then by Thursday, even hotter still with the temperature exceeding 35C for some in the Midlands, eastern and South East England.

The heat will persist on Friday for most but turning less hot across western areas - and then for all over the weekend as the heatwave eases.

Simon King
Lead weather presenter, BBC Weather

Heat health alerts have been upgraded to amber for most of England, except the North East, from 09:00 BST on Tuesday to 21:00 on Friday.

The alert warns that significant impacts are likely across health and social care services due to the high temperatures, including a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.

We'll bring you more on this shortly.