Britain recorded an average temperature of 16.5 degrees Celsius over the meteorological summer, the highest since records began in 1884. The figure surpassed the previous record of 16.1 degrees Celsius set in 2025.
LONDON, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The summer of 2026 was provisionally the warmest on record in Britain, the Met Office said Tuesday.
Britain recorded an average temperature of 16.5 degrees Celsius over the meteorological summer, the highest since records began in 1884. The figure surpassed the previous record of 16.1 degrees Celsius set in 2025.
The five warmest British summers have all occurred since 2003, according to the Met Office, the national weather service.
The season began with Britain's second-warmest June on record, followed by its second-warmest July. Although unsettled weather in late August moderated temperatures, persistent warmth across the three months was enough to set a new seasonal record.
Daily temperatures peaked at 38.1 degrees Celsius at Kew Gardens in London on Aug. 13. In total, 54 Met Office weather stations broke their all-time daily maximum temperature records during the summer.
Dr Amy Doherty, who leads the National Climate Information Center at the Met Office, said these records are now breaking with increasing frequency, reflecting the influence of human-induced climate change on the temperatures being experienced in Britain.
A rapid attribution study by Met Office scientists has shown the record-breaking summer was made around 130 times more likely because of human-induced climate change.
Dr Mark McCarthy, head of climate attribution at the Met Office, said the summer was an example of extremes expected to occur more frequently because of human-induced climate change.
The summer was also notably dry and sunny. Britain had its third-driest July on record. Late-August rain kept seasonal rainfall totals away from national records, though rainfall remained below average.
Britain also had its sixth-sunniest summer on record, with 621.9 hours of sunshine.
Met Office climate scientist Dr James Pope said the summer of 2026 would be around average for Britain in a world 2.5 to 3 degrees Celsius warmer than the pre-industrial period. He added that the season's dry conditions were also consistent with projections that British summers will become hotter and drier as the climate warms. ■
