The UK is on course for its hottest summer on record, the Met Office says, with only average conditions needed for the rest of August to beat the existing heat record.
Provisional Met Office statistics show that the UK’s mean temperature for this year’s meteorological summer – 1 June to 10 August – so far is 16.48°C, 1.88°C higher than the 1991-2020 average. The current record of 16.1°C was set last year.
The record is set to be broken as the country faces a sixth heatwave this week, with 36°C forecasted in some parts of the country on Thursday. Three-quarters of the country – around 45 million people – are now living in drought conditions, with more restrictions on water use likely to come.
An unprecedented dry spell
The country has seen heatwave conditions in at least one area for 37 consecutive days.
This summer saw the driest July in England and Wales since records began in 1836, with southern England experiencing its driest ever calendar month.
No rain is forecast for England and Wales this week either.
The dry climate has also seen wildfires ravage countrysides across the UK. People living close to a wildfire in the New Forest were told this week to limit their use of water as firefighters tackle the blaze.
“The prolonged hot weather over the last few weeks, paired with firefighting activity from recent large fires, has resulted in exceptionally high demand on our drinking water network,” Bournemouth Water general manager Richard Stanbrook said.
This week, multiple water pipes burst in east London and Essex, leaving a reported 10,000 homes with water supply issues.
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said people must take extra care during the hot weather, just as they would during winter.
She said: “Keep an eye on elderly relatives, neighbours and loved ones, or anyone who might really be feeling the heat, just as we would during a cold spell in winter.
“I want to thank NHS staff who are once again stepping up to cope with the extra pressures that hot weather brings.
“Extreme heat can be dangerous, so staying aware of warnings and alerts in place can make a real difference.”
A summer of disturbing heat records
This summer has already broken several heat-related records.
The Norfolk village of Lingwood recorded 37.7°C on 26 June, making it the hottest June temperature ever recorded in the UK.
The current hot spell has also far exceeded that of the infamous summer of 1976, with the UK having already recorded more days above 30°C by 15 July than in the whole of 1976.
England has experienced the hottest mean temperature across the regions according to the Met Office, clocking in at 2.4°C above the average summer temperature between 1 June and 15 July.
Wales is not far behind, at 2.2°C above the average, while Northern Ireland and Scotland have been slightly cooler, at 1.3°C and 0.9°C above their average summer temperatures respectively.
Stark warning for the future
Experts have warned that this unprecedented level of heat is becoming a growing threat to the UK and called on the Government to improve its climate resilience.
The UK Health Security Agency reported 2,877 heat-associated deaths during two notable periods of hot weather this May and June – almost double the figure reported annually for 2025.
Emma Howard Boyd CBE, chair of the Heat Risk Commission and professor in practice at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, said: “Heatwaves are no longer simply environmental risks – they are economic and public health risks, driving up household bills, disrupting businesses, schools, farms and transport, and putting pressure on the places where people live and work.
“The impact on people’s health is already clear in the excess heat statistics, showing that extreme heat is not a distant threat but a growing reality for communities across the UK.”
Fleur Anderson, chair of the Environment All-Party Parliamentary Group, said: “The Government is taking action to tackle the immediate impacts of drought, wildfires and extreme heat, but we need to be doing even more to prepare for the long term.
“Extreme weather is no longer something we can treat as an occasional emergency. We need climate resilience to be built into the way every government department plans and operates, so that we are prepared before the next crisis hits.”
“This summer’s heat will eventually pass, but the underlying risks will not. We need to use this moment to make sure our infrastructure, water supplies, food systems and public services are resilient to the increasingly extreme weather we know is coming,” she added.