Summer 2026 hottest on record due to climate change according to provisional data from the Met Office, with wild fires, families forced to flee their homes, heatwaves, and droughts, Figures for June, July and August (classed as summer by the Met Office) show that the average mean temperature, including day and overnight temperatures was 16.5C, the warmest on record going back nearly 150 years.
It follows a late spring and summer of persistent heat with five widespread heatwaves and 40 days of temperatures above 30C (86F), smashing the previous record of 34 days.
In a study on how this summer was impacted by human-induced climate change, the Met Office says the heat experienced this summer was made 130 times more likely.Met Office head of climate attribution, Dr Mark McCarthy, said: “The summer of 2026 has
been remarkable and is an example of the extremes we can expect to see more frequently as a consequence of human induced climate change. Our analysis shows a summer like the one we’ve just experienced is now around 130 times more likely because of climate change. In a climate unaffected by human emissions of greenhouse gases, a summer like this would be exceptionally unlikely – one in over 1,000 years. In our current climate, which is changing because of the effect of burning of fossil fuels, we should now expect this to be roughly a one in nine year event.”
Despite the recent much welcomed rainfall in many parts of England and Wales, most of England and all of Wales remain officially in drought, the exceptions being the North East, North West and Yorkshire. Around 30 million people in England currently have restrictions on their use of water.
Reservoir water storage in England currently stands at 60%, 18% below the average for this time of year, with nine reservoirs classed by the Environment Agency as having exceptionally low levels. Recent reports indicate that reservoir stocks across Yorkshire
have risen significantly, with an average of 45.6%, marking the largest weekly increase in over 30 years due to heavy rainfall. Despite this improvement, levels are still well below the typical 69.6% average for this as reported on Great Yorkshire Radio.
So what about this winter? There are news reports that a developing Super El Niño is forecast to continue strengthening through winter 2026/27. This warming of the tropical Pacific typically shifts the jet stream, influencing storm tracks and precipitation patterns
across Europe, including the UK. You can find out more from the Met Office here.