- England and France had driest Julys since 1935 and 1959, respectively.
- The British Isles experienced a record-breaking heatwave in July.
- Wildfires have been raging across southern France.
As a record-breaking heatwave swept through both countries, England had its driest July since 1935, and France had its driest since 1959.
“England had just 35% (23.1mm) of its average rainfall for the month,” the UK’s national weather service, the Met Office, said in a statement on Monday.
The country’s south and east were particularly hard hit by the drought. According to the Met Office, July in southern England was the driest on record since 1836, with only 17 percent of average rainfall.
The British Isles, like the rest of Europe, experienced a record-breaking heatwave in July. For the first time, temperatures in the United Kingdom exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), with a record temperature of 40.3 degrees Celsius set on July 19 in Coningsby, Lincolnshire.
In France, only 7.8 mm of rain fell in July, according to Christophe Béchu, the country’s Minister of Ecological Transition, on FranceInfo radio on Monday.
“We have a deficit of 88% compared to what would have been necessary,” Béchu added.
The July heatwave caused raging wildfires across the country’s western and southern regions, and another heatwave is expected to hit France this week.
According to Météo France, the country’s meteorological service, the southwest could reach 40 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
Wildfires have been raging across southern France, with the largest destroying more than 350 hectares (over 860 acres) of forest by Sunday night, according to the local fire department.
Drought threatens nearly half of Europe’s territory, including the United Kingdom, according to researchers at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre on July 18.
According to researchers, a “staggering portion” of 44 percent of European Union and UK territory is under drought warning, with 9 percent under drought alert.
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