The Met Office has confirmed that summer 2026 was the hottest recorded in the UK, with the average temperature across June, July and August provisionally reaching 16.5C, surpassing last year's record of 16.1C and the previous 2018 high of 15.7C. The declaration comes after a season marked by drought, wildfires and repeated heatwaves, with officials noting the extremes are becoming increasingly common due to climate change, calculating that such a summer is now roughly 130 times more likely than in a pre-industrial climate.

The UK saw temperatures hit 30C on 40 separate days, beating the previous record of 34, while 35C or higher occurred on ten days, exceeding the prior record of five. The hottest day fell on 13 August at Kew Gardens, London, reaching 38.1C, one of five official heatwaves across the summer. The dry conditions produced the driest July in 190 years, prompting drought declarations across up to 70 per cent of England and all of Wales, with hosepipe bans still in place. England is also on track for a record number of heat-related deaths, with an estimated 2,877 fatalities linked to the May and June heatwaves alone, expected to exceed the current record of 2,985 set in 2022.