UK weather: 'Meaningful rain' forecast in some drought-hit areas - prompting flood risk

Parts of the country could see flooding in the coming days - with the Met Office saying "meaningful" rain is finally on the way in drought-hit areas.

Cooler, wetter conditions will provide some relief after five heatwaves have left green spaces parched, created dangerous wildfire conditions and triggered hosepipe bans for millions.

Showers were expected in the North on Tuesday, with another area of rain spreading across the Midlands and South in the evening and overnight.

More rain is on the way toward the end of the week, said Met Office deputy chief forecaster Mike Silverstone.

"Thursday will be a day of heavy showers across much of the UK, while some of these will be heavy some areas will miss them altogether," he said.

"As some of these showers could be intense, there is a chance of some surface water flooding as the rain falls on very dry and hard ground."

Sun-baked ground has difficulty soaking up water and can lead to surface run-off, raising the chances of flooding.

Mr Silverstone said the next few days would bring the "first meaningful rain for a long time".

However, it won't be nearly enough to reverse the weeks of below average rainfall experienced in much of the country.

Wisley in Surrey, for example, has currently had 61 dry days in a row, while Heathrow Airport has measured 55 consecutive dry days, according to Met Office data.

The whole of the UK south of Yorkshire and the Greater Manchester area is currently in drought, according to the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales.

The Sky News forecast for your area

A new hosepipe ban also came into force on Tuesday affecting Wessex Water's 1.4 million customers in Bath, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire.

It is the first time it has imposed a ban since the famous long, hot summer of 1976.

It means more than 27 million people in England now have a restriction on hosepipes - which usually still allows for the use buckets and water cans.

The country's biggest supplier, Thames Water, has urged people to continue limiting use, saying it's making a "real difference" in maintaining reserves.

Read more from Sky News:
Ex-world snooker champion in court accused of child sex abuse
Watchdog contacting TikTok over 'joyriding content' after teens die

Thames Water said rainfall in its area in July was less than 1mm - just 2% of the long-term average - while customers used around 100 million litres more every day than normal.

However the firm's water director, Martin Padley, said consumption was down 3% across London and more than 6% in the Thames Valley and home counties since its ban came in on 23 July.

"With reservoir levels below where we would expect them to be for this time of year, and demand remaining high, we're asking customers to keep going and continue using only what they need," he said.

"Small changes, such as taking shorter showers, turning off taps and avoiding non-essential water use outdoors, all help reduce pressure on our network while our teams continue working around the clock to find and fix leaks."

(c) Sky News 2026: UK weather: 'Meaningful rain' forecast in some drought-hit areas - prompting flood risk