Met Office: Summer 2026 was UK's hottest on record
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Neutral summary
The Met Office has declared summer 2026 the hottest on record in the UK since records began in 1884. The mean temperature across June, July and August was 16.5°C, beating the previous high of 16.1°C set last year. Five heatwaves between May and August left most of England and all of Wales in drought. A rapid attribution study by the Met Office found the record-breaking season was made roughly 130 times more likely by human-induced climate change.
How it was framed
Outlets: 14. Countries: 6. Facts in the shared core: 5.
Publication timeline
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Belfast Telegraph (outlet profile)
Wet start to autumn as Met Office expected to confirm hottest summer on record
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Evening Standard (outlet profile)
Wet start to autumn as Met Office expected to confirm hottest summer on record. Several records tumbled in the summer of 2026, which the Met Office is expected to confirm as the hottest on record in provisional figures.
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The Independent (outlet profile)
Official data expected to confirm that summer 2026 was the hottest on record
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Sky News (outlet profile)
Summer 2026 was UK's hottest on record, Met Office says. Summer 2026 has been declared the hottest since records began in 1884, according to provisional statistics.
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RTÉ News (outlet profile)
Heat records expected to be broken due in part to El Niño. Record August temperatures are expected to be reported in a number of countries globally after a summer of intense heat, while the impact of strengthening El Ni…
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The Independent (outlet profile)
Summer of 2026 named UK’s hottest on record after five heatwaves. Forecasters have warned that an ‘unprecedented’ global El Niño weather event will cause more rain and storms in autumn and winter
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Daily Mail (outlet profile)
The summer Britain sweated: Met Office declares summer 2026 was UK's hottest on record. Britain has officially sweated through its hottest summer since records began in 1884, with most of England and all of Wales still…
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Daily Express (outlet profile)
2026 officially named UK's hottest summer on record as experts issue warning. The UK has experienced its warmest summer on record, with a mean average temperature across June, July and August of 16.5C.
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GB News (outlet profile)
UK summer named hottest on record after five heatwaves and raging wildfires. The summer of 2026 has been provisionally declared the UK’s warmest on record, with a mean average temperature across June, July and August of…
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Evening Standard (outlet profile)
Summer 2026 is UK’s warmest since records began. The persistent dry weather and extreme heat of the past few months continue to have an impact on the UK, despite recent rainfall.
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Belfast Telegraph (outlet profile)
Summer 2026 is UK’s warmest since records began
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Channel NewsAsia (outlet profile)
UK chalks up hottest summer on record for second year running
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RTÉ News (outlet profile)
This summer was UK's warmest since records began. This summer was the warmest in the UK since records began in 1884, according to provisional figures from the country's Met Office.
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Euronews (outlet profile)
UK records hottest summer on record, Met Office says. According to a study carried out by Met Office scientists, the record-breaking season was made roughly 130 times more likely due to "human-induced climate change."
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The National (UAE) (outlet profile)
UK records its hottest summer on record, but not the driest
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The Independent (outlet profile)
A series of heatwaves leads Britain to record its hottest summer. Britain's summer has been the hottest on record, according to provisional data from the national weather service
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The Mirror (outlet profile)
Met Office reveals summer 2026 UK's hottest on record as horror heat driven by climate change. Weather forecasters have released provisional figures indicating the average temperature for the months of June, July and Au…
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Phys.org (outlet profile)
UK chalks up hottest summer on record for second year running. Britain experienced its hottest summer on record for the second year in a row, the UK's national weather agency announced Tuesday, after weeks of successive…
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Channel 4 News (outlet profile)
Why a very wet autumn could follow UK's hottest summer This year’s record-breaking summer has been made around 130 times more likely due to climate change, according to a rapid attribution study carried out by the Met O…
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Channel 4 News (outlet profile)
2026 saw hottest UK summer on record, says Met Office www.channel4.com/news/2026-sa...
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Belfast Telegraph (outlet profile)
Summer 2026 was the hottest on record in NI, says Met Office
Factual core
- The UK experienced its hottest summer on record in 2026, according to the Met Office.
- The summer of 2026 was provisionally declared the UK's warmest on record, with a mean average temperature of 16.5C across June, July and August.
- The lack of rainfall in the UK during summer 2026 led to devastating wildfires, water restrictions for millions, and many areas being declared in drought.
- The June 2026 heatwave prompted a rare red alert from the Met Office for extreme heat, with temperatures peaking at 38.0C on June 26 in Lingwood, Norfolk, a new record for the month.
- The mid-August 2026 heatwave saw temperatures climb to 38.1C in Kew Gardens on August 13, making it the hottest day of the year and the first year with three separate days exceeding 37C.