England records warmest June ever as heatwave drives record nights
England logged its warmest June on record at 17.1C, with record-breaking nights and a three-day red heat warning that strained health and public systems.
The Met Office recorded a mean temperature of 17.1C in England in June 2026, breaking the previous record set in 2025.
Across the UK, June ranked as the second warmest on record behind June 2023, while Wales recorded its second warmest June, Scotland and Northern Ireland both had their joint fourth warmest June since 1884, and Scotland matched its highest June minimum temperatures on record. The month began cool and unsettled, but high pressure built over continental Europe around mid-month and pulled much warmer air northward.
Frequent tropical nights pushed minimum temperatures to record levels, with the UK, England and Wales all seeing their highest average June minimum temperatures on record. England also provisionally set a new June highest minimum temperature of 23.0C in Plymouth, while the UK’s June highest minimum reached 23.5C in Cardiff.
For the first time since extreme heat warnings were added to the weather warning system in 2021, the UK had a Red Warning for Extreme Heat in force for three consecutive days. On 22 June, the Met Office issued red warnings for much of southern and central England and Wales, with amber alerts alongside them, and later extended the warning period in some areas. Temperatures could reach at least 39C and tropical nights would affect parts of England and Wales, especially urban areas.
On 24 June, the UK provisionally hit a new June daily maximum of 36.1C at Gosport in Hampshire. By 26 June, that record had risen to 37.3C at Santon Downham in Suffolk, the third consecutive day of a new June temperature record. Wales provisionally set a June daily maximum of 35.9C in Cardiff, and Northern Ireland provisionally equalled its warmest June day on record at 30.8C in Castlederg.
The Met Office linked the warmth to climate change, saying it is shifting temperature extremes in the UK. The UK Health Security Agency issued yellow and amber heat-health alerts during the event, and government guidance warned that red alerts can stretch beyond health and social care into transport, food, water, energy and business disruption, with risk to life even for healthy people.
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