London dry spell tops three weeks, longest since last year’s heatwave

LONDON – London has not seen rain in more than three weeks, the longest stretch since July 2022 when record-breaking temperatures scorched the British capital.

The city’s last rainfall was on May 14, and the chance of precipitation is scant through at least June 11, according to the Meteorological Office. Temperatures in parts of Britain are set to rise into the high 20s deg C this week, the forecaster said.  

Europe is

bracing itself for another summer of potentially parched conditions and extreme heat

as changes in the climate become increasingly intense.

Last year,

a historic drought

and deadly heatwave shrivelled rivers, triggered wildfires and halted transportation – contributing to volatility in energy and commodity prices.

In Britain alone, precipitation patterns have been dramatic this year, with February being the driest for the month in three decades, followed by the wettest March in 40 years.

A lack of reservoirs and widespread water leaks have put pressure on the country’s resources during dry weather.

Scotland is already seeing signs of an early drought, with situation expected to escalate in the coming weeks. 

“If drier spells were to continue, they would develop drought conditions,” said Mr Andrew Pedrini, a meteorologist at Atmospheric G2, a weather forecast company. “According to the latest projection, we should see some relief on the way, beginning later this week/weekend and then again later in June.”

BLOOMBERG