Satellite images show impact of driest July since 1911

Figures from the Met Office has shown this month has been the driest in England since 1911, with an average rainfall of only 15.8mm across the country.

The news comes amid fears the region could face drought conditions in August as rivers have been left "exceptionally low", according to the Environment Agency.

The first picture shows an aerial view of East Anglia on July 17, 2021 and the second was taken on July 19, 2022, a day that saw records broken as temperatures soared to over 40C.

With five days to go, July 2022 is currently the second driest July for England since records began in 1836, behind 1911.

The most extreme dry conditions in the country have been experienced in East Anglia and the south-east, and the region has already been identified as particularly vulnerable to the dry weather.

There is still time for things to change over the remaining days of the month, but the Met Office warns there is little rain forecast for southern and eastern England.

The Met Office said it has not just been a dry July, but figures also show England has had the driest eight-month period from November 2021 to June 2022 since 1976, when the country struggled with severe drought.

Mark McCarthy, head of the Met Office National Climate Information Centre, said: “It is not just July that has been dry.

“Since the start of the year, all months apart from February have been drier than average in the UK too.

“The result of this is that the winter, spring and summer of 2022 have all seen less than the UK average seasonal rainfall.

“England has seen the lowest levels during these periods and rainfall totals for the first six months of the year are around 25pc below their long-term average, with the driest regions in the east and south-east.”

July has also experienced above-average temperatures for much of the month, including heatwave conditions which saw temperatures soar above 40C for the first time, breaking records in the county.