Downpours threatening lives and property this autumn will not provide respite from months of dry weather
Floods could hit England while the country is still in drought, forecasters have said.
Heavy downpours threatening lives and property could hit this autumn, with the rain devastating some areas but still not providing respite from months of dry weather that have left rivers, groundwater and reservoirs drained.
The Met Office chief meteorologist, Will Lang, said on droughts and floods: “Those two things are not mutually exclusive. You can have heightened flood risk as well as drought conditions. The current forecast for unsettled weather, that is unlikely to be enough to reverse the effects of drought over the next few weeks over the autumn.”
If the drought is to be declared over, Lang said, “we are going to need more rain than that.” He also pointed out that it may not fall where it is needed most, in the east of the country.
