Britain records hottest summer on record in 2026

Britain experienced its hottest summer on record in 2026, the Met Office announced on Tuesday, with a season of relentless heatwaves, widespread drought, and destructive wildfires underscoring the accelerating impacts of climate change. Provisional figures show the average temperature across June, July, and August was 16.5 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous record of 16.1 degrees Celsius set just last year in 2025. The record-breaking season was driven by a series of heatwaves that began in late May and recurred throughout the summer, with two occurring in July alone.