Sheffield drought: Yorkshire Water responds after first rain in Sheffield for 27 days

A light shower fell for between 15 and 30 minutes, depending on location, at around 9pm on the evening of Tuesday, May 20, Star readers reported.

World Weather Online detected 0.4mm. But Weston Park Weather Station didn’t record any.

The brief precipitation is the first since April 23, according to Weston Park - a run of 27 days.

Yorkshire Water launched drought plans after what bosses described as “the driest February, March and April in Yorkshire for almost 90 years.”

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A spokesperson said: “We need significant and sustained rainfall to improve reservoir levels. Before Tuesday we’d only had 0.5 per cent of average rainfall for May. As of yesterday, reservoir levels were 66.1 per cent.

“Our advice remains the same around using water wisely and saving water where possible.”

The Met Office is predicting the May Bank Holiday Weekend (May 24 - 26) will see three days of cooler, wetter and windier weather.