The United Kingdom experienced its warmest and one of its sunniest summers on record in 2026, according to provisional data released by the Met Office. The average temperature from June through August reached 16.5°C, surpassing last year’s previous record of 16.1°C by nearly half a degree. This summer's extreme heat has been linked to climate change, which experts say has made such conditions 130 times more likely.

The summer featured five distinct heatwaves, with the highest temperature reaching 38.1°C at Kew Gardens on August 13. Approximately two-thirds of England was affected by drought, prompting hosepipe bans for nearly 30 million households. June and July were noted as the second warmest months on record, while the summer overall ranked as the sixth sunniest and third driest.

Significant periods without rainfall were recorded at several weather stations, including 62 consecutive dry days at Wisley in Surrey and 56-day dry spells at Heathrow Airport and Odiham in Hampshire. These conditions contributed to stressed crops and expectations that this year’s harvest will be the smallest since records began in 1984. Reservoir levels in England declined to 60 percent capacity, which is 18 percentage points below the average, with nine major reservoirs classified by the Environment Agency as exceptionally low.

The frequency and intensity of wildfires have also increased, with fire and rescue services attending 1,132 incidents so far this year compared to 848 during the same period last year. Authorities and emergency services have faced substantial challenges as a result of these conditions.

Mark McCarthy, head of climate attribution at the Met Office, highlighted the summer as a clear example of the kind of extreme weather that is expected to become more common due to human-induced climate change. The five warmest summers since records began in 1884 have all occurred in the 21st century. The Met Office estimates that summers like this would have occurred once every 1,148 years in the past climate but are now expected approximately once every nine years.

Scientists estimate that human activity has increased global temperatures by around 1.4°C since the industrial revolution. If current emission trends continue, the world may warm by an additional 2.7°C by the century’s end. James Pope, a Met Office climate scientist, noted that the summer of 2026 might be considered average under scenarios where global warming reaches 2.5°C to 3°C above pre-industrial levels, but even if warming is limited to 2°C, such a summer would still rank as exceptionally hot.

In response to the climate data, Katie White, minister for climate transition, emphasized the urgency of the situation, describing the recent summer as a stark reminder that climate change is already impacting Britain. She pointed to the strain on vulnerable populations, agriculture, and emergency services as a call to accelerate efforts to transition toward clean energy and electrify the economy.

The Climate Change Committee has previously warned that heatwaves reaching up to 45°C could become a reality for Britain by 2050, underscoring the importance of both adaptation and mitigation strategies as global temperatures continue to rise.