Parts of the UK could be set for the hottest July on record, should a heat dome scheduled to make its way across Europe take hold next week.
Currently, the Central England Temperature (CET) for July is at 19.6C, which is 0.2C lower than the current record for July, which was set in 2006.
The recent cooler spell that has swept across the UK has allowed the temperature to drop out of record-breaking territory.
During mid-July, on the other hand, the CET was around 20.5C.
As unsettled weather takes over the UK in the next few days, there is potential for the average temperature to drop further.
Despite the drop in temperature in the coming days, forecasts are showing high pressure developing to the south-east of the UK from July 28.
During that time, a heat dome will develop over France and Spain.
Should this dome reach the UK, we will be in another hot spell lasting for a day or two, with potential for exceptional heat across parts of south-eastern England.
The unsettled weather over the next day is welcome for many across the UK, as drought has officially been declared across swathes of Wales and parts of the West Midlands, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has said.
The status was implemented following record dry conditions, heatwaves, wildfires and dwindling river water supplies in the region.
It marks the first area of the UK to officially declare drought status this year.
The areas affected by the drought status declaration include North Gwynedd, Ynys Mon, South Gwynedd, Dee (Wales), Clwyd, and Upper Severn.
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The region has received less than two per cent of anticipated rainfall for the month thus far, meaning this July is on course to become the driest on record for Wales in almost 190 years without significant rainfall next week.
Exceptionally dry conditions have led to drying riverbeds, mounting concern from farmers about grazing and water availability, and significantly increased the risk of wildfires, with North Wales in particular experiencing a number of major blazes in recent weeks.
River flows across large parts of the region have been marked as exceptionally low, and some locations are recording or are approaching record low status.
In many areas of North Wales, there has been no significant rainfall since July 6, NRW said.
Rhian Thomas, sustainable water and nature manager at NRW, said: “The prolonged period of hot, dry weather we have experienced this summer is now having serious impacts on the environment across parts of Wales.
“We have seen rivers fall to exceptionally low levels, groundwater continuing to decline, and increasing reports of environmental impacts affecting wildlife, fisheries, farming and sensitive habitats.
“The recent wildfires across North Wales and South East Wales are one of the clearest and most visible signs of how dry our landscapes have become.
“Our teams continue to work closely with fire and rescue services, local partners and land managers to respond to these incidents and reduce risks where possible.”
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