July 2026 was the driest for England and Wales since records began 190 years ago, according to the Met Office, external. England recorded just 6.5mm of rainfall and Wales had 9.3mm, both less than half of the previous records for the nations. It was the second warmest July for the UK as a whole and Wales' warmest ever. The month was also the UK's sunniest July on record. For England and Wales, it was the sunniest calendar month ever observed.