Britain records its hottest summer in 140 years of data as successive heatwaves break the year-old record

The Met Office confirmed on Tuesday that Britain's summer was the hottest in its 140-year instrumental record, with a mean average temperature of 16.5°C (61.7°F). That figure beat the record set in 2025 — itself a record-breaker — and exceeded the 15.7°C (60.2°F) mark set in 2018. England, Wales, and Northern Ireland all set individual mean summer temperature records; Scotland tied its sixth warmest summer.

The season was defined by successive heatwaves beginning in late May and recurring each month, including two in July. The peak temperature of 38°C (100.4°F) in Norfolk on June 26 set a monthly record, and the thermometer reached 38.1°C (100.6°F) in London on August 13, making it the hottest single day of the year. All of Wales and most of England remained in drought conditions by summer's end, with destructive wildfires and water restrictions reported throughout the season.

The U.K. Health Security Agency estimated that 2,877 deaths in England were associated with the May and June heatwaves alone. Amy Doherty, head of the National Climate Information Center, said the records are "now breaking with increasing frequency, reflecting the influence of human-induced climate change," and described the margin by which the previous summer record was exceeded as "particularly notable."