Overview
- As of Saturday, August 1, the government has declared large areas — about half of England and all of Wales — in drought after an exceptionally dry July that the Met Office says is on course to be the driest on record.
- The Met Office and national forecasts predict a cooler start to the weekend with scattered showers followed by a changeable early‑August pattern that will deliver patchy but locally heavy rain, especially in Devon and Cornwall and across parts of Scotland.
- A four‑day Met Office heat‑health alert covers much of the south and Midlands from August 2–5 because short spells of high temperatures could still cause strain on health and social‑care services.
- Meteorologists warn the expected scattered downpours are uneven and short lived, meaning soils, reservoirs and groundwater are unlikely to recover and sustained autumn rain will be needed for true drought recovery.
- Weather services in the United States and India are also flagging separate risks this weekend with severe thunderstorms and flash‑flood potential across the central US and ongoing heavy rain and gusty winds forecast for parts of Tamil Nadu through August 6.