Weather & Science

England Sees Drought Risk Dwindle After Months of Heavy Rain

Water floods into farm land following heavy rain from Storm Jorge near the River Severn in Ironbridge, U.K., on Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. Two winter storms since the beginning of February -- Ciara and Dennis -- have pushed rivers to record levels, leaving large areas of land inundated and flooded more than a thousand homes.Photographer: Paul Thomas/Bloomberg

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By Joe Wertz and Olivia Rudgard

March 24, 2026 at 8:22 AM UTC

Exceptional winter rainfall in England means there’s now little risk of drought this year, UK environment officials said.

All areas of England have recovered from last year’s parched conditions, which included the driest spring in more than a century and the warmest summer on record. Water companies’ hosepipe bans and heavy rainfall in recent months mean the country’s reservoirs are now 95% full, the Environment Agency said.