The rate of drying upstream of the Thames has reached an all-time high downstream, as England appears headed for a drought that some experts say the country is not ready for.
And the Met Office in Britain announced that last July was the driest in England since 1935, with an average rainfall of 23.1 millimeters, or only 35% of the average for this month. Some parts of the country experienced the driest month of July on record.
The River Thames runs 356 km across southern England, from Gloucestershire in the west through the heart of London, before emptying into the sea at Essex to the east.
The natural spring that feeds the river or its source dries up in most of the summer. But this year, the drought has reached downstream more than in previous years, according to observations by conservationists.
The unprecedentedly high temperatures and lack of rainfall prompted two water companies in the south of the country to announce a temporary ban on the use of water hoses and sprinkler systems.
A four-day “extreme heat” warning went into effect in parts of England and Wales on Thursday. The Met Office issued the first such warning last month, when temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius for the first time.