Summer 2026 Could Be the UK’s Hottest Ever Experts Say

hottest summer ever recorded across the country. According to the Met Office, Britain’s national weather service, this summer is on track to beat last year’s temperature record. Last year, the peak temperature was said to be about 35 Celsius. This year, though, the peak temperature was recorded to be 38.1 Celsius.

For months, the UK has seen non‑stop sunny, extreme heat. Right now, much of the nation is going through its fifth heatwave of the year. The average summer temperature is about 1.88 degrees higher than normal. Dry conditions have grown so serious that a drought has been declared across more than two‑thirds of England and the whole of Wales.

Heat has hit month after month. A late‑spring heatwave set a brand‑new May temperature of 35.1 Celsius. Heat returned again in June, followed by a third heatwave in July that lasted two full weeks in some places. On June 26, Norfolk hit 38 degrees, the highest temperature measured this summer so far.

New weather milestones keep occurring. This year is the first time in history that temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius or above have appeared in three separate months: May, June and July. Forecasters predict August may also reach 38 degrees, making it the fourth month to hit that mark. England and Wales also lived through their driest July since official record‑keeping began in 1836.

Scientists say this kind of hot summer matches the long‑term warnings connected with climate change. While local temperatures naturally shift year‑to‑year, rising carbon emissions are steadily warming our planet. That means hotter summers are expected to become more common in the future.

Citing: From the UK Met Office, reported in British news media