It's had nothing, it missed the showers last night too.

https://weatherobs.com/ 

Search for Wisley, click it, then go to the dashboard and you can see the stats for the last 7 days.

My children's generation don't seem to be smokers at all (around here) but there still seem to be fair numbers of my age or older who do (I don't). I'm amazed there haven't been more localized fires.

Yes, its not really a drought. ground water, river levels and reservoir levels seem fine.  We've had a series of wet winters. Its looks bad on the surface but there is moisture deeper down.  I havent needed to water my roses at all, they are still growing fine 

Are you sure, Beast it's not really a drought? 

Absolute drought was 15 days with zero rainfall.

Partial drought was 30 days with (I think) with total rainfall < 0.1mm.

I think this was in the Guiness Book of Weather Facts and Feats, (1977) by Ingrid Holford, the first female TV weather forecaster for the BBC I recall her saying, when I met her in Brockenhurst.

I'd be interested to know where exactly you think (in those areas that are currently officially in drought) the ground, river and water levels are fine.

I'm aware that there are a very small handful of rivers at near normal flow rates and the same for reservoir levels but the overwhelming majority are definitely not fine.

This report should help bring you up to speed with the current situation. Though bear in mind it was published on the 10th August using data up to the end of July. 

Since then most of England and Wales have had little to zero rainfall and so the situation will have worsened further still.

https://hydoutuk.net/latest-outlook 

And here's an article detailing the reservoir situation. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/14/reservoirs-england-wales-exceptionally-low-water-drought

Hah - last week I popped out to Tesco early and had to have the wipers on for a couple of miles. The reason? Insta-fogging up on the outside of the windscreen! I think it must have been cooler here at home, but as soon as I went up the hill it warmed up, the dewpoint too, and then as my windscreen was still cold it kept fogging up. So I had the wipers on (and the blowers/heater), but until that did its job people would have seen me driving along in full sunshine with the wipers going...

As for rain, it's now 6 and a half weeks since the last shower here. I've almost forgotten the sound of rain on the windows...

I mean locally anyway.  The river Wandle near me seems to be running fine.  The local yobs still throwing beer cans into it 

Likely your council pumps fresh drinking water to the river to keep flowing artificially like Epsom does pump in water from Bourne hall lake to keep Hogmills river flowing.  They should be stopped wasting water during hosepipe bans same times.  Imagine a hose is 1cm wide and we don’t let it waste 24hr a day.  But them got away with it by pumping out from a bigger pipe. Even won’t turn off during 2014 very wet winter that flooded part of London road in Ewell that sit next to side river next to Bourne hall lake.  Maybe you can investigate by walking along the river to find a hidden pipe pumping out. Did this river dried up in the past? It used to very low levels to dried up before to 1996 before they started pumping water.

Several tiny droplets just fell from a cloudy sky,

It didn't stop the bee, the wasp, the beetle or the fly;

I couldn't see it reach the ground, no matter how I'd try.

I only knew its presence as a drop fell in my eye.

Twinkle, twinkle little star 

How I wonder what you are.

Don't look up at the sky so high,

because a bird might poo in your eye!

Speaking of bee or wasps I did not see any here this summer or flying past by.  Must be so dry they are either dead early as there no flowers or water to feed on.   I hope Beast will go investigate his local river to check why it not drying up or lower levels.

I never hear about Thames river dried up or being much lower, not even on the media showing low levels over London?  I was told that in 1976 it did dried up so not sure if true or not.

I've only seen a couple of wasps here this summer - they're rare these days, but plenty of bees... There's a bumblebee nest in my garden for (I think) the 5th year in a row. I've got a massive fuchsia bush that they seem to like (8ft high by maybe 10 feet long), and the dandelions that keep popping up are used by them too. There are also various other flying insects, ants and various birds (blackbirds, sparrows, starlings, magpies and pigeons)... 

There's not much wildlife up the road, though, as everyone else seems to have converted their gardens into a mix of plastic green carpet, paving slabs, gravel and car parking.

Amazingly for now Southern Water haven't imposed a hosepipe ban here... on the mainland it's South East Water and they not only have a ban, they're having another water cut, following on from one yesterday. Seems they can't treat water fast enough... groundwater levels in Kent/Sussex are a gnat's whisker below normal. 

Water still seeping out of the limestone aquifer but the Thameshead source is currently dry (often happens) and its major upper tributary the Churn is definitely below normal range

https://www.gaugemap.co.uk/# !Map/Summary/758/772

By the time the Thames has reached Kingston it has collected enough from chalk and limestone aquifers to be low but still within normal range.

https://www.gaugemap.co.uk/# !Map/Summary/1249/1381

I'm sure I'd remember if it dried up in 1976.

Thanks Dew very good link and saved it, I went to look at Epsom and it have 2 of them one is Bourne hall lake where the pump start kept pumping water out and Hogmill river stable levels due to the water pump not stopping.  Bedworth near here almost dried up but not in Nuneaton normal levels.  Hogmill end at Thames as well in Kingston.

I have read that they struggle in the heat, but they seem pretty active here.

They are particularly fond of the catmint, salvia and sunflowers.

I've seen very few wasps so far. May it stay that way. One of the few insects I have no time for.

Hardly touching the sides though, like the first pint.  

And now its stopped! 

Lucky ,saw that area of showers pep up east of London.

Funny year as it has done that a few times with nothing further West.

Plenty of bumbles here too and wasps. I assume there is a local wasp nest nearby. But honey bees are rare this summer. The lamb's ear flowers are a favourite, and the bees work them for weeks. The fennel flowers by a path were covered in wasps for weeks too. Now the seeds are setting, that one is out.  It's wild marjoram I cut back after the first flowering, with another flowering that the bees and various white butterflies enjoy for the nectar. Someone told me a few years ago it's unnatural to do that, and I should just leave these plants as nature intended. No Chelsea chops in other words!

This year it's perhaps a lifesaver for these bees.

Showers becimg widespread from Thurdsay onwards, heavy and thundery to.

I hope so!

Yes although Met Office say tonight,latest BBC weather Elizabeth Rizzini said many would have to wait till Tuesday night in the south.