BASINGSTOKE is seeing the effects of a lack of rainfall as 2022 is set to become one of the driest years on record.

Around the town, what is usually lush green grass has turned dry and brittle.

At Eastrop families were taking a welcome break from the hot temperatures by cooling off in the paddling pool.

The stream which runs through the park has almost dried up.

Temperatures forecast by the Met Office show that Basingstoke is set for another heatwave, with no rain predicted for days.

The forecast shows temperatures in the high 20s this week, peaking at 30C on Friday and Saturday.

The Met Office said that as temperatures build throughout the week, the heatwave threshold is likely to be met for much of the UK.

The government has warned that the continuing dry weather is likely to push England into a drought as last month marked the driest July in the country since 1935.

A heatwave in July saw temperatures reach above 40C for the first time on record.

The extreme weather has already resulted in some water companies, including South East Water, to announce hosepipe bans.

However, Basingstoke is yet to have an enforced hosepipe ban with households instead asked to voluntarily limit water use.

The Environment Agency has warned that “many parts of England will move into drought” if there is no rain.

Overall, the UK had just 56 per cent (46.3mm) of its average rainfall for July, making it the driest in more than 20 years.

Basingstoke Gazette:

According to the Met Office, Hampshire was especially dry, reporting its driest July on record.

Dr Mark McCarthy, of the National Climate Information Centre, said: “July 2022 has been a significantly dry month for Southern England, only 10.5mm of rain has been provisionally recorded on average, less than the previous record of 10.9mm set in 1911.

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“The dominant weather pattern for the month has only allowed interludes of rain into northern areas of the UK, with areas further south largely getting any rainfall from isolated and fleeting showers in a month that will ultimately be remembered for extreme heat.”

Basingstoke Gazette:

SEE ALSO: Weather Forecast: Temperatures soar as Basingstoke prepares for August heatwave

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