Look what has happened to our pleasant green earth: the heat wave leaves the reservoirs almost empty, the parks burnt brown and the gardens dry.
- Britain’s pleasant green land has turned brown as heat waves bite
- In the coming days, the tropical weather will make the heat reach around 29ºC
- The grim-looking landscape may see little change until October, with the Met Office forecasting three months ahead.
By Daniel Jones for The Mail On Sunday
Published: 01:20, 31 July 2022 | Updated: 01:51, July 31, 2022
Britain’s pleasant green land seemed like a distant memory yesterday, with nearly empty reservoirs, burnt brown parks and dry gardens.
Princess Anne might have thought she’d seen it all in her seven decades, but yesterday she looked a little surprised by the barren scenes when she visited The Game Fair at Ragley Hall, Warwickshire.
And the grim-looking landscape may see little change until October, with the Met Office predicting around three months ahead.
In the coming days, tropical weather will see temperatures reach around 29°C (84°F), while large parts of the country will be hit by heavy but short-lived rains coming in from the Atlantic. Forecasters warned that the south and east in particular will be warm and humid.
Temperatures will rise from Monday once the storms are over.
Princess Anne might have thought she’d seen it all in her seven decades, but yesterday she looked a little surprised by the barren scenes when she visited The Game Fair at Ragley Hall, Warwickshire.
Looking rough: The fairways at Ely Golf Club were dry yesterday, although the greens look like desert oases
Hampshire: A Ruined Landscape (pictured: general view of Odiham Castle and surrounding dry land
About 1 inch to 1.5 inches (30 mm to 40 mm) of rain could fall on Monday and Tuesday in northern, central and western areas, but “nothing too disruptive” and “useful for farmers and gardeners,” said Met Office forecaster Tom Morgan. “Many areas will be very warm and humid with lots of cloud around.”
Added. “Temperatures will be as high as 20C (68F) in the early hours, meaning there are some uncomfortable evenings to sleep in.
“The odd rumble of thunder can be heard in isolated areas, and it will be quite wet and wet, typical of conditions seen in tropical countries.
The first hose ban, announced by Southern Water on Friday for a million homes in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, is expected to be followed by further calls to limit water use.
A further 17 million face restrictions, with other providers including Thames Water, South East Water and Welsh Water warning they may have to act.
South Wales: How dry is my valley? (Pictured: Llwyn Onn Reservoir, Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales)
Yesterday water levels at Welsh Water’s Llwyn Onn reservoir in Merthyr Tydfil, which serves Cardiff, remained worryingly low.
At Ely Golf Club in Cambridgeshire, the well-watered greens contrasted sharply with the brown grass.
Across the country, village cricketers played on rock-hard pitches, risking cuts if they lunged for catches. Deryn Fowler, 26, who plays for Blunham in Bedfordshire, said: “I took a layer of skin off my knee as I was diving to save a four.”
There is little hope of rain or a drop in temperature, forecasters warn, with cool autumn temperatures arriving later than usual.
The Met Office says July to the end of September is seven times more likely to be much hotter than normal than much cooler.
August will see highs of 35°C (95°F) while September will see highs of 30°C, with near 30°C (86°F) possible even in October. This would surpass the 29.9C that was recorded on 1 October 2011.
The Met Office said: “There is an increased likelihood of warmer than average conditions.”
…And even when it rains, it’s the wrong kind
As a couple sheltered under an umbrella in rain-hit Cumbria yesterday, water chiefs warned that the heavy rain expected will not help reduce the risk of hose bans, because it is the “wrong kind of rain”.
Suppliers say they need light rain over long periods, because heavy rain on dry land does not pour, but simply runs into drains or even causes flash floods.
One said: “We need regular long-term rains to soak the land and replenish underground aquifers.”