UK 'on course' to record warmest summer for second year in a row

The United Kingdom is on track to set another record for its warmest summer in a row, according to the country's weather agency, the Met Office. Meteorologists predict that with only average weather conditions left for the month of August, Britain could break its own summer temperature record set just last year. The average temperature from late June to mid-August has already reached a record-breaking 16.48 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous summer's average of 16.10 degrees Celsius.

Climate scientists attribute the increasing frequency of extreme weather events like heatwaves and droughts to climate change, which is making these phenomena more intense and leading to more records being broken. England and Wales have already experienced their driest July on record, with almost three-quarters of England and all of Wales now in drought conditions.

The heatwaves and record temperatures in May and June caused an estimated 2,877 excess deaths in England and disrupted essential services like schools, transport, and hospitals.