This summer has been recorded as the hottest in the United Kingdom’s history, based on preliminary figures, with the Met Office indicating that the average temperature was made 130 times more likely due to climate change.

Europe has faced unprecedented heat waves, with England experiencing a temperature high of 38.1°C (100.1°F) at Kew Gardens in London on August 13. June was already confirmed as the hottest month in the UK since records began in 1884. Experts have attributed these extreme temperatures to the climate crisis, primarily driven by the combustion of fossil fuels.

The Met Office reported an average mean temperature of 16.5°C for the UK this summer, establishing it as the warmest season on record, surpassing historical data dating back to 1884. England, Wales, and Northern Ireland have all set new average temperature records for summer, while Scotland recorded its joint sixth hottest summer.

A study by scientists at the Met Office revealed that the extraordinary heat experienced this summer was approximately 130 times more likely due to anthropogenic climate change. Their climate models suggest that summers in the UK will increasingly trend towards higher temperatures.

Dr. Mark McCarthy, the head of climate attribution at the Met Office, remarked, “The summer of 2026 has been exceptional and showcases the extremes we can anticipate more regularly as a result of climate change caused by human activities.”

The oppressive heat adversely affected various sectors, leading to school closures and the cancellation of hospital appointments.

In Europe, the extreme temperatures have been associated with at least 35,000 additional fatalities over the summer months.

This ongoing heat wave has coincided with severe drought conditions and significant wildfires. England experienced its driest July on record, receiving only 6.5mm of rain, which is merely 10% of the typical amount for the month and less than half of the previous record low of 13.4mm set in 1911.

A wildfire near the Sizewell nuclear facility in Suffolk resulted in “total devastation” to a protected area, while in Stourbridge, 19 homes were lost as multiple blazes spread throughout the West Midlands.

Dr. James Pope, a climate scientist at the Met Office, stated, “This summer will be remembered for its exceptional dryness, especially in the south during July. Climate models suggest that this summer aligns closely with what we might expect under a scenario of 3°C of global warming, anticipating that future summers will be both hotter and drier.”

Dr. Amy Doherty, who oversees the Met Office’s National Climate Information Centre, noted, “This summer’s conditions have once again shattered UK climate records. These records are being broken with increasing frequency, highlighting the impact of human-induced climate change on the temperatures we are witnessing in the UK.”

“It is particularly striking how significantly we have surpassed the previous record for average summer temperature (16.1°C), which was set just last year. The latest figures have relegated the notorious summer of 1976 to seventh place for average summer temperature, with the five warmest summers all occurring since 2003.”