The UK has matched the infamous 1976 summer for the number of days with temperatures exceeding 30°C, as the country endures its third heatwave of the season, according to the Met Office. On Monday, the mercury reached 30.1°C in Hurn, Dorset, marking the ninth consecutive day that temperatures have surpassed 30°C somewhere in the nation.
30°C days tally equals 1976
June’s heatwave saw seven consecutive days above 30°C. So far in 2026, there have been 24 days—both consecutive and non-consecutive—where temperatures exceeded 30°C: seven in May, eight in June, and nine in July. This equals the total number of 30°C-plus days recorded in 1976, a year remembered for its severe heatwave and drought that forced residents to use standpipes, damaged crops, and left landscapes parched.
Record-breaking heat extremes
With a month and a half of summer remaining, 2026 still trails the record set in 1995, when the UK experienced 34 days of 30°C-plus temperatures. However, 2026 is already the first year to record temperatures of 35°C or higher on six separate days, and it has set a record with nine days above 34°C. The Met Office attributes the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme heat to human-caused climate change, primarily from burning fossil fuels.
Calls for net zero and adaptation
The escalating extreme heat has intensified calls to reduce climate-warming emissions to net zero in order to halt rising temperatures. The record-breaking heatwaves in May and June closed schools, disrupted transport, and strained health services, prompting demands for the Government to adapt the UK to a hotter world. Measures include installing air conditioning in hospitals and care homes.
Wildfires and health alerts
The third heatwave has led firefighters to battle wildfires across England and Wales. Seven English regions have been issued yellow heat-health alerts through Friday. The Met Office forecasts that the heatwave will persist for much of the UK this week, with temperatures peaking on Wednesday at up to 33°C in parts of south-central England. By the second half of the week, temperatures are expected to ease, with many areas seeing highs in the mid-to-high 20s by Saturday.
