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Britain's bone-dry summer could sizzle on untilHalloweenthanks to Super El Nio

The powerful climate pattern is forecast to crank up between August and October, leaving Northern Europe desperately short of rain

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(Image: Getty)

Britain's bone-dry summer could sizzle on until Halloween as the monster Super El Nio tightens its grip. The powerful climate pattern is forecast to crank up between August and October, leaving Northern Europe desperately short of rain.

El Nio is a natural phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean that can send temperatures soaring and change rainfall patterns across the globe. Experts reckon the blistering weather seen so far is "only the warm-up act" as the weather giant gathers strength.

The World Meteorological Organisation says El Nio is expected to grow into a "strong" event over the coming months, with sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific climbing to almost 3C above average.

[Dry field in the south of the England ]

Ashford in Kent looked more like the Wild West than the Garden of England (Image: Getty Images)

It normally peaks between November and February meaning its biggest weather punch is still to come.

UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres warned: "El Nio is strengthening, adding fuel to a planet already on fire with scorching heat domes, apocalyptic wildfires and record hot seas." The alert comes after Britain baked through its driest July on record. The country has had four official heatwaves so far, with several weeks of summer left to run. Many areas - especially in the south - haven't seen any rain at all for weeks.

[A map of the UK showing the threshold temperatures need to hit for a heatwave to be declared]

Weather maps like these have been commonplace this summer(Image: Met Office)

Months of relentless heat have battered crops, emptied reservoirs and left farmers fearing for this year's harvest.

The landscape in Ashford, Kent, looked more like the Wild West than the Garden of England.

Andrew Blenkiron, who runs the Elveden Estate in Suffolk, warned: "It really is going to take a lot of rain to make any significant difference. "People say we can import food from around the world but because of the El Nino event, we could see impact on crops across the globe in future."

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Millions have hit the beaches in the scorching weather(Image: Getty)

Scientists stress El Nio is a naturally occurring climate cycle rather than being caused by climate change. But it acts like rocket fuel for a warming planet, ramping up the risk of heatwaves, droughts and devastating wildfires across the globe. Britain has already suffered three of its worst harvests on record in the past five years, while extreme weather has helped keep food prices stubbornly high.

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