Met Office Issues Drought Warning That Will Hit the UK in August

After a period of unusually dry weather and intense heat, experts have warned that a drought may be declared in the UK in August, and warned of catastrophic crop failures.

If the government executes a drought strategy, hosepipe prohibitions for families might be implemented throughout the UK, and farmers could be prohibited from irrigating their crops.

Drought in the UK

(Photo : Pawel Czerwinski/Unsplash)

The National Drought Group, comprised of government agencies and impacted organizations, will meet on Tuesday to establish a plan of action for dealing with the extremely dry circumstances that England is now experiencing.

Responses to the possible drought are also being discussed in other UK nations.

The planning was originally scheduled for October, but it has been moved sooner because of the extreme drier weather.

The soil was cooked by last week's record-breaking warmth, forcing farmers to irrigate their crops more often and speeding up the rate at which streams evaporate.

In the key months of August and September, farmers may be prohibited from watering their crops; root foods like potatoes are particularly at risk.

Lack of water might cause crops to fail, and dry soil can make harvesting challenges.

There's no time to squander, according to National Farmers' Union president Minette Batters. For producers, the water situation is quite critical since it has an impact on costs and crop viability.

Because many farmers have already entered into contracts with supermarkets and other suppliers, they may be forced to bear these expenses on their own if crop yields suffer as a result of the dry circumstances, as per The Guardian.

Also Read: California Keeps Experiencing Extreme Drought in Spite of Record-Setting Snow

Drought warning by the government

The East of England, the East Midlands, and the Southwest are expected to see UV levels of six today, which is considered to be a high UV level.

For the rest of the country, moderate UV levels of four to five have been predicted.

Although temperatures may be lower than last week, the forecaster cautioned: "UV levels will still be moderate to strong for many parts of the UK today."

Meanwhile, if the extended dry weather persists, experts said yesterday that regulators in the UK might declare a drought next month.

Tomorrow's meeting of the National Drought Group, which consists of the government, water providers, and environmental organizations.

This comes as the UK prepares for more warm weather to continue through the end of this month and into August.

The pressure on water supplies has increased as a result of months of below-average rainfall for parts of the nation and unusually high temperatures last week (over 40C on Tuesday).

According to Martin Lines, head of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, this extended dry weather is seriously affecting crops, particularly spring crops that have had very little moisture since sowing.

People are depending on a rainy winter to fill several agricultural reservoirs that are running low.

The new trees and hedges that farmers have planted recently to combat climate change are having a significant impact.