Summer of 2026 was UK’s hottest on record, Met Office says

Meteorologists say average mean temperature of 16.5C was made 130 times more likely by climate crisis This year’s summer was the UK’s hottest on record, according to provisional Met Office data, with the season’s mean temperature made 130 times more likely as a result of the climate crisis.

The summer saw record-breaking and back-to-back heatwaves scorch much of Europe.

In England, temperatures peaked at 38.1C (100.1F) at Kew Gardens in London on 13 August, with June already confirmed as the country’s hottest since records began in 1884 .

Scientists have said these heatwaves are only possible because of the climate crisis driven by burning fossil fuels.

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