On Lundy, a small English island known for puffins, drought has pushed reservoir levels to record lows and forced officials to pump water from wildlife ponds.
Supplying 28 residents and the island's working farm has become so difficult that evacuation is now a real possibility, something Lundy has never had to contemplate before.
Here's what to know
Lundy received only about a fifth of its usual 1.5 meters (4.92 feet) of rain by early October and no significant rainfall since April, BBC News reported. The shortfall followed the hottest and driest summer on record.
On the National Trust-owned island in the Bristol Channel, supplies depend on rainfall and boreholes sunk into granite.
Lundy managing director Derek Green said, "Bringing in pond water is something we've never had to do before. It's really our last chance saloon here."
BBC News reported that mainland water deliveries began in August after reservoir levels fell to 13%, with an initial shipment of about 67,000 liters (17,700 gallons) costing roughly £7,000 (just over $9,200 USD.)
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They have brought in roughly 4,000 liters (1,057 gallons) three times a week, while residents use between 9,000 and 11,000 liters (2,400 and 2,900 gallons) a day.
The pond-water measure helped raise reservoir levels to 23.7%, but Green said the threat is far from over. "If we didn't do this, we would be facing the reality of closing Lundy... it would be devastating for us," he said.
More background
Tourism on Lundy centers on the landscape and wildlife. The five-kilometer (three-mile) island off the north Devon coast draws birdwatchers for its puffins and other visitors for its seals and rugged cliffs.
Past dry spells had already pushed islanders and tourists to rely on bottled water, BBC News reported. This period, though, has become a "logistical nightmare," island manager Matt Scantlebury said, especially after a June landslip blocked part of the granite track to the village about 400 feet above sea level.
Low water supplies put sanitation, drinking water access, and animal welfare on the island's farm at risk, while a possible evacuation would disrupt residents and booked vacations. Scantlebury said The Tavern pub had already closed some toilets to conserve water.
BBC meteorologist David Braine said rain was expected, though recharging the groundwater and reservoirs Lundy depends on could still take weeks.
What's being done?
Strict conservation rules apply to residents and visitors alike.
To reduce water use, bath plugs have been removed, and Scantlebury said, "People are showering with buckets to catch the water and then using that to flush the toilets."
BBC News reported that The Tavern has shut its main toilets, directing visitors to back-shed facilities not connected to the mains supply. Even those now have to be filled with pond water.
Green said getting imported water to storage is now a multi-step job. Tanks are unloaded from the MS Oldenberg, taken to a halfway staging point, sent by fire hose past the damaged stretch of road, and then pumped on to the reservoir above.
Looking beyond the immediate crisis, Green told BBC News Lundy will need to expand its reservoir capacity and prepare for hotter years ahead. Scantlebury added that without meaningful autumn and winter rain, keeping water at a "reasonable level" will be difficult.
Assistant warden Tara McEvoy-Wilding said: "This year feels like the real first year people have been noticing climate change. For Lundy, it's going to be a challenge going forward. We're going to have to be extra mindful and plan further in advance to maintain our water security."
Where can I learn more?
Lundy's water crisis fits into a broader pattern of droughts straining communities, ecosystems, and basic services.
• In Catalonia, officials declared the worst drought in modern history as reserves kept falling.
• In parts of Spain, tap water grew scarce as drought pushed residents toward bottled supplies.
• In Louisiana, rising sea levels threaten drinking water for communities facing repeated saltwater intrusion.
• In California, officials expanded stormwater capture for drought as extreme weather disrupted supplies.
• Experts at World Water Week warned the cascading impacts of drought can hit every sector.
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