As the third heatwave of the year continues this week, the UK is now on its 10th consecutive day where temperatures have exceeded 30C, beating the record summer of 1976.
With 25 days recorded above the threshold so far this year – seven in May, eight in June and 10 in July – it beats the infamous 1976 summer by one day.
That particular year is remembered for the extreme heatwave and drought conditions, with crops hit, landscapes left parched and people forced to use standpipes in the street.
Yesterday saw temperatures peak at 30.2C in Kew Gardens, west London, making it the 10th day in a row to exceed 30C somewhere in the country.
In contrast to last week’s forecasts, the ongoing July heat spell looks set to continue, as there is now no rainfall expected this week anywhere in the country.
It comes in spite of last week’s forecasts predicting wet and stormy weather for some regions going into this week, with some parts of the country now set to go almost a month without any wet weather.
This week’s temperatures are expected to peak today, with possible highs of 33C in some parts of southern England, according to the Met Office.
Mike Kendon, Met Office climate information scientist, said: “2025 was the UK’s warmest year on record, the sixth time this record has been broken in the 21st Century so far.
“The last four years are all in the top five warmest years. With warming at around 0.25C per decade since the 1980s, it seems likely this record will be broken again in a matter of years.”
The latest 10-year period (2016 to 2025) is 1.33C warmer than the period from 1961 to 1990.
Mr Kendon added: “Think of this warming as moving north and uphill, with areas like the Vale of York and Lancashire now having similar annual temperatures to those experienced by Greater London in 1961 to 1990.
“In the south east we are seeing the emergence of new warmer climates, while in our northern upland areas we are losing the climatologically coldest habitats from the tops of our mountains. Our climate is on the move – literally.
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“The trend shows that in the 1980s annual average temperatures of 11C were virtually unknown in the UK, yet by 2025 almost a fifth of the land surface reached that value.”
He highlighted particular concern around how temperature extremes are being affected, as these cause the greatest impacts – “a pattern we’ve seen again in 2026 so far”.
According to the scientist, parts of the south east have seen the hottest day of the year warm by 4.5C – three times that of annual mean temperature – with expectations of 35C later this summer.
“Yet, despite historic heatwaves like 1976, overall temperatures as high as this were comparatively unusual in the 20th Century – back then we did not reach even 30C, anywhere in the UK, in approximately one year in every five”, he added.
“As an illustration, the number of days of over 30C has quadrupled in areas such as Greater London.”
He described his observations of the changing climate as “a time of historic and unprecedented change”, and that the 20th Century notion of seasonal and monthly conditions “has now gone”.
This summer’s third heatwave has left fire and rescue crews tackling wildfires across England and Wales.
The hot, dry weather has also led water firms to announce hosepipe bans for the east of England, Cambridge, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and areas of Kent, among others, as demand exceeds supply.
Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency has issued yellow heat health alerts for much of England, which began at 9am on Tuesday and will run until 9pm on Friday.
The regions affected include the East Midlands, East of England, London, North West, South East, South West and West Midlands.
Yellow alerts are issued during periods of heat which would likely impact those who are particularly vulnerable, including the elderly, who are likely to struggle to cope in extreme heat.
Some climatologists predict the temperatures the UK has been experiencing could become the new normal for summer over the next few decades as a result of climate change.
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