Dry July – just how hot and dry has it been?

July was incredibly sunny, hot and dry, but just what records were broken across the UK nations? The UK recorded a mean average temperature of 17.4°C, 2°C above the long-term July average. Wales provisionally recorded its joint warmest July on record for mean temperature at 17.8°C, while England recorded their second warmest at 19.2°C. Southern England was especially dry, with 1.9mm of rain – around 3% of its long-term average rainfall for the month – making it Southern England's driest month ever recorded. The remaining four months saw above average rainfall.