London has recorded its hottest day of the year in the UK so far, as temperatures reached 38.1C on Thursday afternoon.

It is the second time this year the country has seen temperatures reach 38C, with the new high surpassing the previous hottest day of 2026 when 38C was recorded in the late June heatwave.

It comes as the capital struggled under an amber warning for extreme temperatures, during the fifth heatwave of a scorching summer.

Extremely dry weather has hit much of the country, with more than 70% of the country now in drought following a record dry July, and an August that has so far seen just 5% of expected rainfall.

Thursday was also the fifth hottest day on record in the UK, and further records were set, according to the Met Office.

This is now the first year on record to see three separate days where temperatures reached the 37C threshold, as well as the first year with four days at 36C or above.

Friday is also expected to be a scorching day, with highs of 33C predicted in the capital.

Temperatures are then due to fall to the mid 20s over the weekend, giving a welcome respite from the extreme heat for many.

The UK is facing increasingly extreme conditions such as heatwaves, drought and wildfires fuelled by climate change, which is mostly driven by greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels for power plants, vehicles, heating and industry.

Baroness Brown, who chairs the independent advisory Climate Change Committee’s adaptation work, warned it “gets worse from here” until greenhouse gas emissions are cut to zero overall, known as net zero.

Climate advisers are also urging the Government to take steps to prepare the UK for worsening extremes, from making it easier for farmers to build reservoirs to putting air conditioning in hospitals and providing grants for vulnerable families to do the same.

England and Wales have already seen as many wildfires this year as during the whole of 2025.

Some 1,017 wildfires have been recorded in England and Wales this year, according to data shared by the National Fire Chiefs Council, the same as last year’s record-breaking total.

Crews from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service have continued battling a blaze which hit protected heathland in the New Forest after a van caught fire on the A31 near Ringwood on Sunday.