More English regions are expected to join the North West and Yorkshire in an official drought on Tuesday after yet another hot and dry spell of weather.<\/p>\n
The announcement is likely to come after the National Drought Group \u2013 which manages preparations for dry conditions in England \u2013 meets on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n
Declaring a drought means that water companies put in place their plans to manage water resources. That can involve hosepipe bans, but not always.<\/p>\n
Droughts are driven by natural weather patterns, but climate change and our growing use of water are raising the risks of water shortages, the Environment Agency says. <\/p>\n
The National Drought Group is made up of the Environment Agency, government, Met Office, water companies and others.<\/p>\n
There are no official droughts in Wales and Northern Ireland at the moment. Scotland does not declare droughts but monitors “water scarcity”.<\/p>\n
Parts of eastern Scotland are in “moderate” scarcity \u2013 the second most extreme category \u2013 which means there is “clear” environmental impact.<\/p>\n
In England there is no single definition of drought, but it is ultimately caused by a prolonged period of low rainfall, which has knock-on effects for nature, agriculture and water supplies.<\/p>\n
England had its driest spring in more than 100 years, followed by three heatwaves in quick succession for some areas in June and July.<\/p>\n
That intense warmth has drawn even more moisture out of the soil.<\/p>\n
So while it may be raining where you live today, it’s unlikely to be enough to bring water levels back to normal across the country.<\/p>\n
The Environment Agency (EA) declares droughts in England based on reservoir levels, river flows and how dry the soil is, alongside long-term weather forecasts.<\/p>\n
“We certainly expect more regions to enter drought status,” said Richard Thompson, deputy director of water resources at the EA, adding that further details would be announced later on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
In a “reasonable worst-case scenario” – where regions get 80% of their long-term average rainfall – another five regions across central and southern England could enter drought status by September, joining Yorkshire and the North West, according to the EA.<\/p>\n
Current long-term forecasts suggest roughly normal levels of rainfall over the next few months, however.<\/p>\n
If further droughts are declared, it does not automatically mean that hosepipe bans will be put in place, but these can often follow.<\/p>\n
Some regions, such as parts of Kent and Sussex, have already declared hosepipe bans, but are not in drought status.<\/p>\n