Summer 2026 expected to be declared UK's hottest on record
Met Office figures due on Tuesday are likely to show that the previous record, set in 2025, has been broken after an unprecedented summer of persistent heat.
Summer 2026 has been declared the hottest on record for the United Kingdom, according to initial data released by the Met Office. The average mean temperature for June, July, and August was found to be 16.5C, surpassing all previous records dating back to 1884. This summer was characterized by a series of five heatwaves and 40 days with temperatures above 30C, surpassing the previous record of 34 days set in 1995.
The Met Office attributes the extreme heat to climate change, making this summer 130 times more likely to occur due to human-induced factors. The high pressure system, dry conditions, and continental European winds contributed to the persistent heat, while the second half of August saw a shift to cooler and wetter weather. England, Wales, and Northern Ireland all broke their respective summer temperature records, with Scotland reporting its sixth warmest summer on record.
The hottest temperature recorded was 38.2C in Hartpury College, Gloucestershire on August 13th. While this summer's heat is unprecedented, experts expect more frequent and intense heatwaves in the future due to the rapidly changing climate in the UK, which is warming at roughly twice the rate of the global average.
Written by urgent.news from BBC Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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