Records are tumbling across the east and south of the country for the driest spell since records began. Cambridge Botanical Gardens, for example, had the driest March (3mm) and April (1.7mm) since 1893, and had only recorded 3.5mm of rain in May until heavy showers yesterday. Cambridge's dire figures are typical of the main cereal growing regions of eastern and southern England, which is suffering a drought that, even if the weather changes, is going to severely affect yield.
A drop of 10% to 30% of wheat tonnage per acre is expected even if it starts raining heavily this weekend.
Even a lot farther west sheep and cattle farmers are short of grass and animals are struggling to find enough to eat. While some wildlife – butterflies, some birds and lizards – thrive in such conditions, pond life is badly affected. Many ponds have dried up before tadpoles could turn into frogs.
Rivers in the south-east fed by springs from chalk aquifers still have relatively healthy flows, while those in the West Country and Midlands that rely on surface run-off are already very low. The Met Office expects some light rain in the worst affected regions over the next few days, but this will not enough to lift the drought.
About 100mm of rain in a week is what cereal farmers are praying for (double the monthly average in Cambridge), while forecasters continue to predict less rain than average in the worst hit regions.