Summer 2026 is the hottest on record

The summer of 2026 is the hottest on record in the United Kingdom, according to provisional figures from the Met Office.

The figures, published on 1 September, confirm a summer of record-breaking heat, with a series of heatwaves from late May to August.

A summer of records

The first heatwave began on 22 May. The record for the hottest May day was broken on 25 May, when 34.8 degrees Celsius was recorded at Kew Gardens in London, and broken again the next day with 35.1 degrees.

In June, the record for the hottest June day was broken three days in a row, with 38.0 degrees recorded at Lingwood in Norfolk on 26 June.

A third heatwave began in July, and for the first time temperatures reached 35 degrees in three separate months. On 13 August, the hottest day of the year was recorded, with 38.1 degrees at Kew Gardens.

The records for the most days reaching 34 and 35 degrees in a single year were also broken.

Drought

Long spells of dry weather have left rivers and reservoirs low. The Environment Agency has declared drought across more than half of England and all of Wales, and hosepipe bans have been introduced in some areas.

England and Wales were on course for their driest July since records began.

Health

The heat has put pressure on the NHS. A&E departments in England have had their busiest summer ever, and experts estimate that thousands of people have died as a result of the heat.

The government held COBRA meetings on the response, and millions of people in England and Wales received an emergency alert on their phones warning them not to light barbecues or fires because of the risk of wildfires. Disposable barbecues were temporarily banned from sale.

Climate change

Scientists say climate change is making heatwaves in Britain more frequent and more intense. The UK has warmed by more than a degree since the pre-industrial period, and temperatures above 40 degrees were recorded for the first time in 2022.

The Met Office has warned that a strong El Nino in the Pacific could make 2027 the hottest year on record globally, and could bring a wet and stormy autumn to Britain.

In Birmingham

Birmingham, like the rest of the country, has seen high temperatures and dry, parched parks. The city hosted the European Athletics Championships at the Alexander Stadium in August during one of the hottest spells.