England Records Driest July in 87 Years Amid Sizzling Heat Wave
Firefighters on a buggy pass through Dartford Heath, following a major fire during a heat wave, near Dartford, UK, on July 20.
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
England had the driest July since 1935 amid a searing heat wave that pushed infrastructure to the brink and severely disrupted travel.
The unusually dry weather came as temperatures rose above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) for the first time. The intense heat had sparked fires near London, triggered warnings that railway lines could buckle, canceled flights and forced power stations to operate at low levels to prevent overheating.