The United Kingdom has experienced its hottest summer on record in 2026, marking the second consecutive year that the country has reached such a milestone. According to the Met Office, the national weather service, the season saw an average mean temperature of 16.5°C, making it the warmest summer since records began in 1884.
This year’s figures surpass the previous record of 16.1°C set in 2025. The 2026 season also sits comfortably above the next three hottest summers on record—2018, 2006, and 2003—all of which maintained an average mean temperature of 15.7°C. The trend was widespread, with England, Wales, and Northern Ireland all reporting their warmest summers to date. Scotland recorded its joint-sixth warmest summer. Additionally, England experienced its warmest June on record and its driest July, with only 6.5mm of rainfall.
The UK has faced a series of intense heatwaves and drought conditions over recent months, with temperatures reaching a peak of 38.1°C at Kew Gardens in London on 13 August. Dr. Amy Doherty, who leads the Met Office's National Climate Information Centre, noted that the frequency of these records reflects the influence of human-induced climate change. "Particularly notable is how much we’ve exceeded the previous summer mean temperature record, set just last year," Doherty added.
Scientific analysis from the Met Office indicates that the record-breaking season was made approximately 130 times more likely due to human-induced climate change. Dr. Mark McCarthy, head of climate attribution at the Met Office, stated that in a climate unaffected by human greenhouse gas emissions, a summer of this nature would be exceptionally unlikely, occurring perhaps once in over 1,000 years. In the current climate, however, such an event is now expected to occur roughly once every nine years. Sweltering conditions across Europe have wreaked havoc on the continent this summer, putting increasing strain on emergency services and helping fuel a series of devastating wildfires.
