A lack of rain and high temperatures have caused drought conditions that have turned much of the country’s landscape from green to brown and yellow. An orange heat warning remained in place on Sunday as temperatures remained north of 30C in parts of the UK. Major fires have been reported in parts of London, Kent and Essex over the past two days, while the weather has also led to incidents of people getting into trouble while swimming in lakes, rivers and the sea. UK Weather Latest: Search underway for person on Thames Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 1:05 Smoke billows on road as fire rages in Kent Fire and rescue services have been dealing with a huge number of bushfires across the country, especially in the south-east, where there has been no rain since January. Several agencies have described the recent demand as “unprecedented”, with Dorset reporting that in the first 10 days of August it saw 180 fires – compared to just 34 last year. And the four days of storms expected next week aren’t likely to provide much relief. Instead, the driest conditions in nearly 50 years, which have markedly lower water levels in reservoirs and a drought officially declared in eight areas of England on Saturday, could lead to flooding. Storms are likely to bring significant rainfall, but may be too brief. Geographers and meteorologists say that the best type of rain to bring the earth out of its dry state would be a light drizzle. Rather than sinking into the baked ground, the rainfall expected could lead to large amounts of surface runoff – possibly causing flash flooding and even power cuts, the Met Office warned. Read more: What happens during a drought and how can you help? How little rain has your area had compared to previous years? Thunderstorm warnings to start the week Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud explained that “rain from really heavy downpours will not be able to soak quickly into the baked ground”. “It’s very difficult for the water to actually get in because it has to force the air out of the ground. So the dry ground gets flooded very quickly and then we have surface runoff,” he added. The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for the storms, saying they could cause significant disruption on Monday for all but northern parts of the UK. Get the five-day forecast right where you are “Sprinkling and flash flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and the closure of some roads,” it said. “There is a small chance that homes and businesses will be quickly flooded, with some buildings damaged by floodwaters, lightning, hail or strong winds. “Where there is flooding or lightning there is the potential for delays and some cancellations to train and bus services. “There is a small chance that there will be power outages and other services lost to some homes and businesses.” The yellow storm warning will fall south all week, affecting only England on Tuesday and then the far south of England on Wednesday. There are no warnings for Thursday.
