Prolonged Dry Weather – Return to Normal conditions in East Anglia

Prolonged Dry Weather – Return to Normal conditions in East Anglia

Posted on Mar 23, 2026 by jsw  | Tags: Drought, Environment Agency

23 March 2026

Situation

Conditions across East Anglia continue to improve. February received 180% of the long‑term average rainfall, and although March has been warmer with lower rainfall to date, forecasts indicate average spring and early‑summer rainfall with rising temperatures.

Recovery in parts of Norfolk remains slower; however, all East Anglia catchments are now assessed as Normal:

What we are doing

We are reviewing our response to this prolonged dry weather incident, identifying lessons learned and updating our Area Drought Plans. 

We are still monitoring the environment and publishing information on river flows and groundwater levels via the Hydrology Data Explorer and our Water Situation Reports. We will be switching to our routine environmental monitoring programme in the coming weeks. 

We have published Irrigation Prospects for the year ahead which we currently forecast as moderate, meaning some controls on surface water abstraction are possible by midsummer if the weather is hot and dry. Controls on abstraction from groundwater are possible in small, sensitive groundwater areas. 

Most farmers with water storage reservoirs have been able to refill but some have seen a delayed start to the season due to local conditions. We encourage farmers to contact us to discuss options to help them prepare for the 2026 irrigation season.

Working with water companies 

Water quality has improved and we are operating the Ely Ouse to Essex Transfer Scheme to support the refill of water company reservoirs.

Water companies are returning to business as usual operations and will continue to encourage their customers to use water wisely.

How you can help 

We can all do our part to use water wisely and manage this precious resource, and there are useful water saving tips for us all at Waterwise.

We encourage the public to report sightings of fish in distress or other impacts on the environment by telephoning our 24hr Incident Hotline: 0800 80 70 60.

More information can be found here:

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency