Summer 2026 on course to be UK's hottest on record, says Met Office
Only average conditions are needed for the remainder of August to break the record, which was set just last year.
The UK's Met Office predicts that this summer will be the country's hottest on record since measurements began, with only average conditions needed to exceed last year's record. Meteorological summer, from June 1 to August 10, currently stands at 16.48C (61.66F), which is 1.88C above the 1991-2020 average. Summer 2025 saw a mean temperature of 16.10C (60.98F).
Climate change is making summers hotter and drier. This summer has been extraordinary, with a late-spring heatwave setting a new May temperature record, followed by heatwaves in June and July, with 37 consecutive heatwave days in the UK. The highest temperature recorded was 38C in Norfolk on June 26. Another heatwave is forecast this week, with temperatures possibly reaching 38C again, potentially making it the hottest August month on record.
This is the first time since records began that 35C or above has been reached in three separate months - May, June, and July. Drought has been declared in more than two-thirds of England and all of Wales, affecting 45 million people. Rain is expected to return later this week, but the persistence of heatwaves is attributed to climate change, which scientists say will continue to make summers hotter and more intense.
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