Central and south-east England have experienced their most prolonged period without recorded rainfall this century, forecasters confirm.
Met Office weather stations across both regions registered zero precipitation for 14 consecutive days, from Thursday 2 July to Wednesday 15 July, according to the latest available data.
This unprecedented dry spell coincides with continued warm and sunny conditions, following three recent heatwaves.
Scientists warn the nation’s climate is changing, with human-driven global warming contributing to extreme weather and disrupted rainfall patterns.
The intensifying strain on water supplies has already led to several hosepipe bans across large swathes of southern England this summer.
Officials have also cautioned that drought risk is escalating this year, particularly as the hot summer follows a record-breaking warm spring for England and Wales.
For south-east England, Met Office figures indicate this is the longest unbroken run of no rain since a 15-day period in April 1997.
It is also the longest period for central England since a 14-day run of no recorded rainfall in June 1996.
Data for July 16 has yet to be published, but could show the rain-free spells in both regions extended for even longer.
The Met Office also revealed that temperatures in the UK on Thursday peaked at 30.6C at Merryfield in Somerset, making it the 12th day in a row when 30C has been exceeded somewhere in the country.
There were 18 consecutive days of 30C-plus temperatures in the punishingly hot year of 1976, when drought conditions damaged crops, scorched landscapes and forced people to use standpipes in the street.
But there have now been 27 days in 2026, consecutive and non-consecutive, when 30C has been exceeded somewhere in the UK: seven in May, eight in June and 12 in July.
The record for the number of 30C-plus days in a calendar year is 34, which was set in 1995.
David Hayter, the Met Office’s deputy chief meteorologist, said: “Every day for the last 11 days, somewhere in the UK has seen temperatures reach or exceed 30C.
“The high pressure, which has brought this prolonged fine spell, will continue for the next week or so at least, but will shift enough to enable a more northerly flow that will introduce a cooler feel that will end the run of 30C days.
“However, we are still likely to see some locations remain in heatwave conditions to finish the week.”
The Met Office said it is too soon to say whether the heatwave conditions will last beyond the next 10 days and towards the end of July.
Britons have so far endured a sweltering summer of above-average temperatures and persistently warm nights.
England has been particularly warm, with mean temperatures currently 2.4C above the average 21C usually expected.
The Met Office said Wales is sitting 2.2C above an average of around 19.3C, and while Scotland and Northern Ireland have remained closer to their seasonal norms of 17.3C and 18.6C, they are still running above average at 0.9C and 1.3C respectively.
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