The hottest day of the summer was August 13, when temperatures reached 38.1 C at Kew Gardens in London.
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Web Desk
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LONDON: The United Kingdom has recorded its hottest summer in nearly 150 years after enduring five heatwaves between May and August, the Met Office confirmed.
According to the latest data from the UK’s national meteorological service, temperatures reached at least 30 degrees Celsius on 40 days this summer, surpassing the previous record of 34 days.
The hottest day of the summer was August 13, when temperatures reached 38.1 C at Kew Gardens in London.
The five heatwaves caused drought-like conditions across large parts of the country and contributed to wildfires and travel disruptions.
The UK recorded an average temperature of 16.5 C across June, July and August, exceeding the previous summer record of 16.1 C set in 2025, according to the Met Office.
Although temperatures cooled toward the end of August, persistent areas of high pressure and dry air moving from continental Europe helped maintain unusually warm conditions.
Before 2026, temperatures above 37 C had been recorded only nine times in the UK. Three such instances occurred this year alone.
The first heatwave in May also broke the month’s temperature record by more than 2 C, while some parts of the UK experienced a heatwave lasting about three weeks across July and August.
More read, Hottest summer of Europe’s history breaks all records
The Met Office had earlier warned that the UK was on course for its hottest summer on record if temperatures remained around average through the rest of August.
