England has just endured its hottest June since records began in 1865, a month in which a searing heatwave triggered an unprecedented three-day red extreme heat warning and pushed the mercury to a new national June high of 37.7C. The record temperature was set on Friday 26 June at Lingwood, Norfolk, smashing the previous June record of 35.6C set in 1957 and equalled in the infamous 1976 heatwave.
Provisional data from the Met Office showed England’s mean temperature for the month reached 17.1C, nearly 3C above average, driven by frequent “tropical nights” when the thermometer did not drop below 20C. Wales and the UK as a whole recorded their second-warmest June since 1884, while Wales saw its hottest June day – 35.9C in Cardiff on 25 June. Northern Ireland equalled its June record with 30.8C in Castlederg.
“England recorded its hottest June since 1865, with a three-day red heat warning and record 37.7C temperature.”
The extreme heat was not confined to the UK. France experienced its hottest day on record, with 24-hour average temperatures reaching 30C for the first time, beating even the devastating heatwaves of August 2003 and July 2019. Spain recorded 1029 excess deaths attributable to the heat, and France’s national health ministry reported around 1000 excess deaths, most among those aged over 65.
Now, as the country recovers, a yellow heat health alert has been issued for large parts of the UK later this week, according to Sky News. The alert follows a June that was preceded by the warmest spring on record for England and Wales, and the third-warmest for the UK. In May, temperatures at Kew Gardens in London reached 35.1C, exceeding its previous station record of 29.3C and the previous UK May record of 32.8C.
Dr Emily Carlisle, a Met Office scientist, said: “June’s high temperatures are part of a broader pattern of warmth during 2026. So far, five of the first six months of the year have recorded mean temperatures at least 1C above average, with only January seeing below average temperatures.”
Prof Stephen Belcher CBE, the Met Office chief scientist, said: “June’s heatwave was a significant weather event, with a red extreme heat warning issued. Human-induced climate change has made events like this more likely and more intense.” He added: “To see temperatures like this in the UK in June is sobering. Events like this bring home the implications of climate change, with very high temperatures and humidity bringing significant health implications from heat stress, as well as impacts to a range of sectors such as transport, energy and water supply.”
The extreme June heatwave also affected large areas of Europe, with new June records set in Hungary, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Denmark. Spanish forecasters note that of the 12 June heatwaves recorded in Spain since 1975, half have occurred in the last decade.