Well, actually, no – often it does not rain. In fact, for the past 14 months rainfall in many parts of England has been a lot less than normal. Last year, in the town of Tonbridge in Kent there was only 406mm of rain. That is less than the average rainfall in, for example, Jerusalem, or parts of Somalia and Namibia. The amount of water stored in reservoirs and aquifers in South Eastern England is now very low. Normally, rain during the winter refills the reservoirs and aquifers. But this winter has so far been exceptionally dry. The English word for a long period with little or no rain is a “drought”. Many experts say that unless the drought in South Eastern England ends and it rains heavily over the next two months, they expect severe problems with water supplies in the summer in that part of the country.

　　The weather forecast today is for a mixture of sunshine and showers. But there is still no sign of the heavy rain that South Eastern England needs.

　　Note: “reservoir” – an artificial lake for storing water

　　“aquifer” – underground rock which stores water naturally. Water companies drill wells into the aquifers and pump water out of them.