UK records its hottest summer on record, but not the driest
The UK has just experienced its hottest summer on record, caused by human-induced climate change, the national weather bureau has said. An average temperature of 16.5°C makes the summer of 2026 the warmest in the UK since records began in 1884, the Met Office said in its provisional figures on Tuesday. It was also one of the sunniest summers since 1910 featuring the third-driest July on record –…
The United Kingdom has recorded its hottest summer on record, according to the national weather bureau. The average temperature of 16.5°C made the 2026 summer the warmest since 1884, surpassing the previous record by 0.4°C. This summer was also one of the sunniest since 1910, although July was the third-driest on record, leading to drought declarations in England.
The hot summer followed a record-breaking heatwave in late spring, with June and July being the second-warmest on record. A brief spell of rain in late August helped cool temperatures for that month. Dr Amy Doherty, who leads the National Climate Information Centre at the Met Office, noted that these records are breaking more frequently, reflecting the impact of human-induced climate change.
The five warmest summers have each occurred since 2003, with this year and last year's summers being the hottest. The highest temperature of the summer was 38.1°C in Kew Gardens, London, on August 13, while Lingwood in Norfolk reached 38.0°C in June. This summer's dryness, particularly in the south during July, aligns with climate projections for an average UK summer under a 3°C global warming scenario.
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