The UK is on course for its hottest summer on record, with only average conditions needed for the rest of August to beat the record set only last year, the Met Office said.
Provisional statistics from the Met Office show that the mean temperature for the summer so far, from June 1, stands at 16.48C – which is 1.88C above the 1991 to 2020 average.
Record within reach
To equal the 16.12C seen in 2025 – the UK’s warmest summer on record – the rest of August would only need to be 0.21C below the long-term average, and any warmer than this would establish a new record for the country, the Met Office said.
And for England and Wales, which have seen temperatures more than 2C above average so far this summer, it is even more likely that June to August 2026 will be record-breaking.
Heatwave and drought
The figures come as some parts of the country face a fifth heatwave of the summer, with amber warnings in place for parts of England on Thursday when temperatures could hit 38C in some spots.
Nearly three quarters of England and the whole of Wales are in drought, after a record dry July and very dry start to August has combined with high temperatures to put pressure on water resources for households, agriculture and the environment.
