UK declares drought in North Wales and Upper Severn

Drought has been officially declared in North Wales and the Upper Severn region, marking the first such designation in the United Kingdom this year. The announcement was made on July 23, 2026, by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) following a prolonged period of hot, dry weather that has pushed the country toward its driest July in nearly 190 years.

The affected areas include North Gwynedd, Ynys Mon, South Gwynedd, Dee in Wales, Clwyd, and the Upper Severn, which covers parts of mid-Wales and the West Midlands of England. The region has received less than 2% of its expected rainfall for July, with many parts of North Wales seeing no significant rain since July 6. River flows are exceptionally low, groundwater levels are declining, and river temperatures are high, creating severe stress on the environment.

Rhian Thomas, sustainable water and nature manager at NRW, stated that the hot, dry summer is having serious impacts across parts of Wales. She cited rivers falling to exceptionally low levels and increasing reports of environmental damage affecting wildlife, fisheries, farming, and sensitive habitats. The recent spate of wildfires across North and South East Wales, she said, is one...