The United Kingdom has registered its hottest day of the year and its fifth warmest day on record as an intense heatwave peaked at 38.1C on Thursday. According to the Met Office, Kew Gardens in west London provisionally recorded England's highest temperature of the day, eclipsing the previous 2026 high of 38C recorded in Lingwood, Norfolk, on June 26.
This extreme weather marks 2026 as the first year in history to record three separate days where temperatures climbed to or past the 37C threshold. Since records began, only four days in the UK have ever been hotter than this Thursday. The only other calendar year to log temperatures this high on two separate occasions was 2022. The absolute UK record remains 40.3C, recorded at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on July 19, 2022, which stands as the nation's sole day exceeding 40C.
Other historic peaks include 38.7C at Cambridge Botanic Gardens on July 25, 2019, followed by 38.5C in Faversham, Kent, on August 10, 2003, and 38.2C in Pitsford, Northamptonshire, on July 18, 2022.
Aside from Kew Gardens, several other locations saw extreme readings on Thursday. Charlwood in Surrey and Pershore in Worcestershire both reached 37.8C, while Wisley recorded 37.2C. In Pershore, Suzanne Badger, the front of house manager at the Pickled Plum pub, described the scene as people came "walking in off the street, melting." She noted that while they usually consider the kitchen hotter than the outdoors, "today it's hotter outside," adding that the 36C heat inside the kitchen had become unbearable.
An amber heat health alert remains active across all of England until 21:00 BST on Friday, highlighting concerns over significant detrimental impacts on health and social care services. Additionally, Met Office amber warnings for "extreme heat" cover a large area stretching from London to Sheffield, including parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Shropshire, and Herefordshire.
In Wales, temperatures were projected to hit 35C amid a nationwide drought declaration. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland faced a yellow thunderstorm warning active until 06:00 on Friday, and rain was forecast for much of Scotland.
The prolonged dry spell has significantly transformed the landscape of England and Wales. Currently, nearly three-quarters of England's population—approximately 45 million people—are living under drought conditions, with more than 27 million individuals facing water use restrictions, including hosepipe bans.
In east London and Essex, thousands of households continue to suffer from complete water outages or low water pressure, nearly a week after a series of water pipes burst in South Woodford. Thames Water has issued multiple apologies and stated it expects to restore normal supplies by Friday.
The extreme heat is proving to be deadly, driving emergency departments in England to their busiest period on record. Healthcare workers have described the working conditions as grueling, with one ambulance technician calling the shift "vile" and others reporting they were "dripping with sweat from head to toe." Health Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that these figures illustrate the "additional burden is placed on the NHS during periods of extreme heat," emphasizing that the health service must plan for summer pressures with the same rigor as winter demands.
The dry, hot conditions have also triggered severe wildfires. Data from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) shows that 1,017 wildfires have been recorded across England and Wales this year, matching the record set last year. On Thursday, a team of 130 firefighters fought a massive wildfire in Hampshire's New Forest, which scorched an area equivalent to roughly 230 football pitches. Experts note that the UK is increasingly confronting these extreme conditions, including heatwaves, drought, and wildfires, all of which are fuelled by climate change.
Although the peak of this current heatwave has likely passed in England, temperatures are expected to cool slightly to 30-34C in the Midlands, East Anglia, and southern England by Friday, before dropping to a more temperate 26C by Sunday.
A cyclist in Birmingham rides through a park scorched by the sun
The only time a temperature this high was recorded twice in a calendar year was in 2022. Overall, it is the UK's fifth hottest day since records began.
