Drought declared in north Wales and Upper Severn amid record heat

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has declared drought status in north Wales and the Upper Severn, with July on course to be the driest in nearly 200 years Source: The Guardian. Record-low river flows, back-to-back heatwaves, and widespread wildfires have prompted the declaration, while all other areas of Wales remain in prolonged dry weather Source: BBC.

Impacts

• Farmers face severe pressures: springs and streams are drying up, crops ripening early, and lower yields expected Source: BBC.
• Welsh Water has implemented a hosepipe ban for 33,000 properties in west Wales, though it notes that reservoir levels remain healthy and that its operational measures differ from NRW's environmental drought classification Source: BBC.
• Several wildfires continue to burn, and the Welsh government has activated crisis plans amid a lack of firefighting helicopters Source: The Guardian.

Climate context

• The drought declaration comes as a new analysis finds that extreme heat, supercharged by climate change, is intensifying droughts across Europe Source: The Guardian. Last summer's drought in much of Britain did not officially end until March Source: The Guardian.
• NRW's Rhian Thomas said: "The prolonged period of hot, dry weather ... is now having serious impacts on the environment" , while Cabinet Minister Llyr Gruffydd assured that public water supplies remain sufficient but urged careful use .