11 Aug 2026

Photo by Sebastien Gabriel   Global sea surface temperatures reached their highest level ever recorded for the month of July, according to new data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), as a prolonged marine heatwave around the UK edges towards rare “extreme” territory and much of England and Wales is declared officially in drought. […]

05 Aug 2026

Photo credit: M. Shahri   Hungary’s only nuclear plant came within millimetres of a complete shutdown this week as the drought draining central Europe’s rivers left the Danube too low to cool its reactors. A slight overnight rise in the river bought the Paks plant a reprieve, while downstream in Romania the military has detonated […]

30 Jul 2026

Photo credit: Photoholgic on Unsplash   The Environment Agency has declared drought across seven regions of England, covering just over half the country, following what is set to be the driest July on record. The declaration moves East Anglia, Hertfordshire and North London, Thames, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands and […]

23 Jul 2026

Photo credit: redcharlie   Europe’s current drought is being shaped by a compound of rainfall deficits and a much warmer, thirstier atmosphere, according to a rapid attribution study published today by World Weather Attribution (WWA). Analysing conditions from January to June 2026 across a western European domain and an eastern one, scientists from 13 countries found that […]

16 Jul 2026

Photo credit: Oleksandr Sushko The heat and rainfall deficit affecting the UK extends well across the North Sea, with Dutch authorities warning of a looming water shortage and the Rhine falling to levels that threaten to halt freight. The National Water Distribution Coordination Committee scaled the Netherlands up to level 1, an impending water shortage, on […]

09 Jul 2026

Photo credit: Steve Payne   More than half a million people, nationally important infrastructure and the UK’s largest port complex face increasing tidal flood risk across the Humber unless a long-term, estuary-wide approach to adaptation is delivered. Understanding Tidal Risk, published on 7 July, is the shared evidence base of the Humber 2100+ partnership, which […]

06 Jul 2026

Photo credit: Nick Russill   Hundreds of jellyfish washed ashore at Summerleaze Beach in Bude, Cornwall, on 2 July, drawing crowds to a striking purple carpet of stranded animals beside the town’s sea pool wall. Scientists at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, who documented the stranding, said the mound was made up mostly of moon jellyfish, alongside blue […]

06 Jul 2026

Photo credit: Matt Hardy   The marine heatwave that has gripped UK waters for much of 2026 could reach extreme levels this week, the Met Office has warned. Surface waters around north-west Europe are running at strong to locally severe conditions, reaching temperatures normally seen in August and averaging around 2°C above normal, with some offshore […]