East Anglia recovered from drought but officials warn of ‘weather whiplash’
East Anglia has become the final area to move out of the recovery phase from drought
England has recovered from drought after four months of above average rainfall, which hit many parts of the country with flooding, the Environment Agency said.
East Anglia has become the final area to move out of the recovery phase from drought, with all regions in England now classed as being in “normal” status.
The announcement follows the latest meeting of the National Drought Group of the Met Office, government, regulators, water companies, the National Farmers’ Union, Canal and River Trust, anglers, hydrologists and conservation experts.
The Environment Agency said the risk of drought in 2026 was currently low but there was still the possibility of “flash drought”, caused by a sudden combination of very low rainfall and high temperatures – conditions seen in summer 2022.
And there was a warning that climate change would bring increased “weather whiplash”, with more rapid swings between drought and flooding.
Heavy rainfall has caused widespread flooding in areas such as the South West this winter.
It is an abrupt change from conditions across much of England last year, as widespread drought took hold in the face of the driest spring for 132 years, and a hot dry summer with record temperatures and repeated heatwaves.
Farmers struggled to grow crops, river and stream habitats were hit, and hosepipe bans were introduced for millions of households.
National Drought Group chairwoman and director of water at the Environment Agency, Helen Wakeham, said: “Last year’s drought was challenging for everyone, affecting our farmers, our wildlife, and our public water supplies.
“The winter rainfall has helped our depleted reservoirs and rivers to recover and, while we welcome the improved picture, we are mindful of the problems that flooding brings too.
“We enter spring in a favourable position, but we can never be complacent.
“We expect water companies to carry on quickly fixing burst pipes and to be ready to enact their drought plans in a timely manner, if needed,” she added.
February received 170% of the long-term average rainfall, while March has been drier, with 53% of the average of the month so far.
Reservoir storage is now 95% for England, slightly above average for the time of year, though Abberton and Hanningfield reservoirs in Essex, Grafham reservoir in Cambridgeshire and the Dove Group in Derbyshire are still below average, officials said.
Soils are fully replenished, while groundwater and river flows are normal or above normal across England.
But while the South West had its second highest December to February winter rainfall since records began in 1871, causing widespread flooding, East Anglia’s river and groundwater levels have been slower to recover from the drought.
Water minister Emma Hardy said: “Despite our recent wet weather, we must still talk about drought.
“Our climate is changing, droughts are becoming increasingly common, and we need to be prepared.
“We expect water companies to update their draft statutory drought plans by the end of March and plan for more extreme dry weather – in the hope it never comes.”