Winter rainfall will ‘unlikely’ be enough to make up for drought

SUSTAINED wet weather this autumn and winter is needed to ensure recovery from this year’s “exceptional” drought - and that looks unlikely, experts have warned.

- EMILY BEAMENT

The latest Met Office outlook suggests the chances of dry conditions are higher than of wet weather, and the UK is most likely to see near-average rainfall, making it “pretty unlikely” there will be enough rainfall by the end of the year to make up for the very dry spring and summer.

Scientists also warned that without action to curb climate change, there will be more “swings” from the persistent wet weather seen in 2023 and 2024 to prolonged dry conditions, along with heatwaves and wildfires, that hit this year. They also called for more action to keep water in the system such as fixing leaks, which could have delayed the need for hosepipe bans this summer.

The UK has experienced its hottest spring and summer, and one of the driest, on record, tipping many areas into drought, leading to hosepipe bans for millions of households, putting pressure on farmers and the environment, and causing a record area of land to be burned in wildfires.

Jamie Hannaford, principal hydrologist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said the rainfall deficits and temperatures in spring and summer made 2025 an “exceptional” year.