With all that is occurring over the summer of 2026, it is worth looking at some statistics. Firstly, make no mistake about it: we are witnessing one of the most intense spells of dry weather in recent times, writes Ian Thomas.
There has been only 7.5 mm (0.3 inches) of rain since 1 July, and the last period of wet weather was between 1st and 11th June, when I recorded 61 mm (2.4 inches). The total rainfall for Dursley this summer so far is 77.5 mm (3.05 inches). The grand total for the three summer months of 1976 (1 June–31 August) panned out at 71 mm (2.8 inches), and most of that fell over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Pictures by Ian Thomas
So, 2026 is in second place, with 1976 still retaining gold position. Also in gold position from 1976 are the 14 consecutive days from 25th June to 8th July when the mercury touched 32°C or more somewhere in southern England.
The drought was not just a few weeks, but a full 16 months from May 1975 to August 1976. It did not stop raining altogether, but, with the exception of September 1975, very little fell in each month, including autumn 1975, winter 1975–76, and spring 1976.
However, this summer is different in the sense that the dry spell has been more intense over an eight-week period. No rain whatsoever fell here during the entire calendar month of July, a first on our records.
Coupled with the continuing wildfires all around, the dry spell has given the landscape an appearance more akin to a Greek island. Indeed, smoke from the fires in South Wales has migrated across much of the south-west and West Midlands, giving a strange effect. You can hardly see across the Severn Vale and beyond.
