Driest UK Spring In 100 Years, In Belgium, More Than 130 Years; 3 Weeks w/o Rain In Famously Rainy Manchester
North-west Europe has been experiencing an unusually dry spring. Belgium, in particular, has had four times less rain than it would typically expect, according to data from the Uccle measuring station, stoking fears that this will be the driest spring in 130 years. This has triggered a warning for extreme drought.
The UK has also recorded only 80.6mm of rain, making it the driest spring in more than a century with only two weeks to go. England has been particularly affected and notched up the driest February to April period since 1956, with parts of northern England, including the often soggy city of Manchester, experiencing more than 20 days without a drop of rain.
Northern France is also on the brink of drought-like conditions amid concerns that this spring is shaping up to be even drier than in 1976. Unlike that record-breaking year, soils across the region are much wetter after severe rainfall in January, which is not the case for Belgium and the UK.
EDIT
North-west Europe has been experiencing an unusually dry spring. Belgium, in particular, has had four times less rain than it would typically expect, according to data from the Uccle measuring station, stoking fears that this will be the driest spring in 130 years. This has triggered a warning for extreme drought.
The UK has also recorded only 80.6mm of rain, making it the driest spring in more than a century with only two weeks to go. England has been particularly affected and notched up the driest February to April period since 1956, with parts of northern England, including the often soggy city of Manchester, experiencing more than 20 days without a drop of rain.
Northern France is also on the brink of drought-like conditions amid concerns that this spring is shaping up to be even drier than in 1976. Unlike that record-breaking year, soils across the region are much wetter after severe rainfall in January, which is not the case for Belgium and the UK.
Canada has been feeling the burn, too: Winnipeg and southern parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan broke records dating to 1958, hitting 33.8C on Monday.
EDIT/END
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/16/weather-tracker-dry-spring-in-northern-europe-sets-off-drought-warnings