EA dissects the 2025 drought

(by Karma Loveday)

The Environment Agency has published a factual report setting out a timeline of how the 2025 drought developed in England and Wales.

This is because the drought was significant, and manifested increased volatility in weather conditions resulting from climate change.

The EA offered the following summary: 

“The 18 months leading up to December 2024 were the wettest on record for England. Yet by mid-February 2025, the weather turned to settled and dry. The dry end of February continued into March, causing the driest spring since the late Victorian era. Through June and July, there was a mixture of sunshine and showers plus a succession of heatwaves. August was especially dry and was on course for the one of the driest Augusts on record until a damp end to the month.

By the end of the summer, reservoirs across Yorkshire and the Pennines were very low, nearly 9 million people were covered by a hosepipe ban, 20% of the canal network had closed due to water shortages, and both farmers and the environment faced severe challenges.

2025 saw many historical climate records broken, with it being the sunniest and warmest year on record for England. In contrast, September, November and December saw wetter than average conditions, with areas in the East Midlands and Humberside recording the wettest November since records began.”