UK summer 2026 on track to shatter all-time heat record

Britain's summer of 2026 is on the verge of becoming the hottest on record, according to provisional statistics released by the Met Office. The mean temperature for meteorological summer — measured from 1 June through 10 August — currently stands at 16.48°C, which is 1.88°C above the 1991-2020 average. Last year's record of 16.10°C would be beaten if only average conditions prevail through the rest of August.

A summer of relentless heatwaves

The season has been marked by extraordinary heat from the outset. A record-breaking heatwave in late spring was followed by further prolonged heat events in June and July, with the latter lasting two full weeks in some parts of the country. The UK recorded 37 consecutive days on which a heatwave threshold was breached somewhere in the country. The peak temperature so far — 38°C logged at Lingwood in Norfolk on 26 June — could be matched or even exceeded later this week, as the Met Office has issued an amber extreme heat warning for parts of England on Thursday.

Historic records tumbling across the calendar

This is the first year on record in which the temperature has reached 35°C or above in three separate calendar months: May, June and July. The previous record for the number of days above 36°C in August was set in 2020, with 36.4°C measured at Heathrow and Kew Gardens. Climate scientists say the pattern is consistent with the long-term warming trend driven by climate change, which is making British summers progressively hotter and drier.