UK Heatwave 2026: When Will It End, and Every Record That's Fallen
The UK is in its third heatwave of 2026, and it's forecast to persist through the coming week — peaking around 35–36°C in mid-July before thunderstorms break it down toward the weekend of 18–19 July. The year's hottest day so far remains a provisional 37.3°C at Santon Downham, Suffolk on 26 June. Here's when this spell ends, and every record 2026 has already broken.
For a country whose old June record had gone unbeaten for half a century, the last week of June 2026 was extraordinary. The heat didn't just break the UK's June record — it broke it on three consecutive days, climbing from 36.7°C at Merryfield in Somerset to a provisional 37.3°C at Santon Downham, Suffolk on 26 June. The Met Office issued a Red Extreme Heat Warning — its most serious — and more than 150 weather stations, some with over a century of data, logged their hottest-ever June day.
This was the UK front of a far larger event: a heat dome that made late June 2026 the worst heatwave ever recorded across Europe, with Spain hitting 45.1°C and Germany a provisional 41.5°C. Here is what fell at home.
The Third Heatwave: When Will It End?
Short answer: As of Saturday, 11 July, the Met Office expects the current hot spell to hold through much of the coming week and peak around 35–36°C in southern and eastern England by about Thursday–Friday, 16–17 July. Thunderstorms are then forecast to break the heat down, with fresher, cooler Atlantic air returning toward the weekend of 18–19 July. Forecasts this far out are provisional and can shift by a day or two.
This is the UK's third heatwave of 2026, which the Met Office says began on 4 July after a brief cooler interlude. It has none of the record-shattering peaks of late June — but it is long. A prolonged run of low-to-mid 30s across England and Wales, with little meaningful rain, is exactly the kind of drawn-out heat that pushes soil-moisture deficits and wildfire risk higher and keeps the health system under strain.
The UK Health Security Agency has amber heat-health alerts in force across much of England, warning of increased risk to older and vulnerable people and pressure on health services. If you want to sanity-check whether this spell is genuinely exceptional for your area or simply a warm week, you can compare it against any past summer with our historical weather lookup.
What already makes 2026 stand out isn't any single afternoon — it's the frequency. Britain has now logged a record eight days above 34°C in a single year, beating the previous record shared by 1976 and 2020, and 2026 became the first year in the UK record to hit 35°C or higher in May, June and July. Three heatwaves before mid-July is not what a normal British summer looks like.
The Records That Fell
Every figure below is from the Met Office and is provisional until formally ratified. Temperatures are shown °C first.
| Record | New mark | Where | Date | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK hottest June day | 37.3°C / 99.1°F | Santon Downham, Suffolk | 26 June | 35.6°C (Southampton, 1976) |
| UK hottest June day (earlier in the run) | 36.7°C / 98.1°F | Merryfield, Somerset | June 2026 | 35.6°C (Southampton, 1976) |
| Wales hottest June day | 35.9°C / 96.6°F | Cardiff | June 2026 | previous Welsh June high |
| Northern Ireland June high (tied) | 30.8°C / 87.4°F | Castlederg, Co. Tyrone | June 2026 | 30.8°C (tied) |
| UK & Wales warmest June night | 23.5°C / 74.3°F | Cardiff, Bute Park | 25 June | 20.0°C (2023) |
| England warmest June night | 23.2°C / 73.8°F | Hastings, East Sussex | 26 June | 22.7°C (1976) |
For where these sit in the all-time picture, see the hottest days in UK history, ranked — the June record still sits well below the UK all-time high of 40.3°C (2022).
The Overnight Story
The daytime peaks grabbed the headlines, but the nights are what worried health officials. On 25 June, Cardiff's Bute Park stayed at 23.5°C overnight — a UK June record that obliterated the previous 20.0°C from 2023. England set its own June minimum record the next night: 23.2°C at Hastings, beating a 1976 mark.
A “tropical night,” where the temperature never drops below 20°C, denies the body the overnight cooling it relies on to recover. That is why heat becomes deadly during multi-day events rather than single hot afternoons — the risk accumulates when homes, hospitals and care settings never get a chance to cool down. Heat is consistently the deadliest form of extreme weather in Europe, and warm nights are a big part of why.
Is This Normal? The Historical Context
Hot spells in June are not new — the difference is the ceiling. The legendary 1976 summer, whose 35.6°C June record 2026 finally broke, arrived on the 50th anniversary almost to the week. But 1976 was a long, dry heatwave that topped out lower than 2026 did in a matter of days. The 2003 European heatwave pushed the UK to 38.5°C in August; 2019 reached 38.7°C in July; and 2022 broke the 40°C barrier for the first time at 40.3°C.
Set 2026 against that sequence and it fits a clear pattern: heat records that once stood for decades now fall within a few years of each other, and June is doing what only July and August used to. You can trace the full climb in the hottest days in UK history, and the same signal globally in 2026 as the hottest year on record.
What's Next for Summer 2026
The late-June heat broke down as cooler Atlantic air pushed in — only for a third heatwave to build in early July. Once this spell breaks around 18–19 July, the second half of summer is still peak heatwave season, so further hot episodes through August would be entirely typical. We update this page as new records fall. For the fuller picture of how Britain's extremes have shifted, see the UK's all-time weather records and the hottest and coldest places in the UK.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the UK heatwave end?
As of 11 July, the Met Office expects the hot spell to hold through much of the coming week and peak around 35–36°C by roughly Thursday–Friday, 16–17 July, before thunderstorms break it down and cooler Atlantic air returns toward the weekend of 18–19 July. Forecasts this far ahead are provisional.
Is the UK in a heatwave right now (July 2026)?
Yes — the UK entered its third heatwave of 2026 on 4 July, and it remains ongoing in mid-July with UKHSA amber heat-health alerts across much of England. It follows record-breaking heatwaves in May and June.
How hot did it get in the UK in 2026?
A provisional 37.3°C at Santon Downham, Suffolk on 26 June — the hottest June day ever recorded in the UK. The June record was broken on three consecutive days.
Was June 2026 the hottest June on record?
It set the hottest single June day on record (37.3°C, beating 35.6°C from 1976), and more than 150 stations logged their own June highs, per the Met Office.
What is a Red Extreme Heat Warning?
The Met Office's most serious heat alert — it signals a risk to life for the whole population, not just vulnerable groups, with likely disruption to travel and daily life.
What was the hottest day of 2026 so far?
26 June, with a provisional 37.3°C at Santon Downham, Suffolk — the UK's hottest June day on record. The July heatwave is forecast to top out near 35–36°C, below that June peak.
Sources
Temperature and overnight records are from the Met Office June 2026 heatwave recap and its June-record news releases, with peak-day reporting from ITV News. The July third-heatwave timing and forecast peak are from the Met Office third-heatwave release and UKHSA heat-health alerts. All 2026 figures are provisional pending Met Office ratification, and forecasts beyond a few days can change.