Driest spring in over 100 years continues as farmers hope for ‘meaningful’ rain

The driest spring so far in more than a century is continuing, the Met Office said, as some farmers hope for “substantial” rain amid drought concerns.

So far this spring, 80.6mm of rain has been recorded for the UK, nearly 20mm less than the record low for the full season of 100.7mm set in 1852.

With more than two weeks of May left, the Met Office said it is too early to say how spring (March, April and May) as a whole will rank, but added that the high pressure bringing dry and warm conditions looks set to persist through this week and into the weekend.

The national weather service said on Wednesday that changeable conditions could arrive at the end of the next week.

“At the moment, the indications are that as we move towards the end of next week, we could start to see some more changeable conditions moving in from the west, which would bring some fresh temperatures and potentially something in the way of measurable rain,” Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon told the PA news agency.

“There are a couple of spells where we might see some very light showers at times in places over the next week or so, but nothing meaningful.

“And obviously sectors such as agriculture are really looking now for some meaningful rain.”

Rachel Hallos, vice president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), said: “The lack of any substantial rain over the past few weeks is starting to raise a few concerns although the picture across farming sectors is mixed.

“Farmers in some parts of the country have started irrigating much earlier than normal, but thankfully reservoirs are full following the wet autumn and winter and there are good stores of groundwater.

“The extreme weather patterns we now regularly experience are impacting our ability to feed the nation. As we highlight in the NFU Blueprints for Growth, the Government needs to recognise water for food production.

“This should include access to water in times of shortage to be secured through policies that support investment in water storage and water-use efficiency on farms, plus support for innovation in more water efficient crops and farming systems.”

The Environment Agency has warned of a “medium” risk of drought in England this summer without sustained rainfall.

The Met Office said the driver for the prolonged warm and very dry spell has been high pressure.

Mr Claydon said: “It has been what’s called a blocking high, which is when an area of high pressure becomes established and then essentially reinforces itself and bats away areas of low pressure, which would traditionally bring us more changeable conditions – fresher temperatures, for example, more spells of cloud and rain.

“Essentially we’ve had fairly blocked high pressure, really from February.”

Temperatures are hovering around the May average high of 17.1C in the east and north east of England because of onshore breeze and building cloud, the Met Office said, but are a little above the average elsewhere in the UK.

The temperatures fall some way short of the record high for this month of 32.8C, recorded in Regent’s Park on May 29 1944.

Responding to farmers’ concerns, a Government spokesperson said: “Our water infrastructure is crumbling after years of underinvestment, with population growth and climate change adding further strain.

“We are monitoring water levels and expect water companies to cut leaks and take action to protect supplies.

“Over £104 billion of private sector investment has been secured to fund essential infrastructure, including nine new reservoirs, to help secure our future water supply for farmers.”