UK June heat record broken again as Suffolk hits 37.3C

A provisional 37.3C in Santon Downham, Suffolk, pushed the UK’s June heat record higher again on Friday. Temperatures reached the peak of the heatwave in the UK, even as small shifts in cloud cover or early thunderstorms could still alter the final reading.

The new mark followed a 36.7C reading at Merryfield, Somerset, on Thursday and an earlier June record of 36.9C on Friday itself. Before this week, the benchmark for the hottest June day had stood at 35.6C since 1976, a threshold that has now been beaten on three consecutive days. The concentration of intense heat had shifted eastwards by the end of the week, leaving Suffolk among the worst-hit areas.

Health officials moved to high alert as the heat spread across the country. The UK Health Security Agency issued a red heat-health warning for London, the East and West Midlands, the East of England, the South East and the South West, with the highest alert level indicating a risk to life even for healthy people. This was the first time its current warning system had issued red extreme-heat warnings for three consecutive days in the UK, while UKHSA’s alerting system is designed to give early warning to health and social care services, emergency responders, the voluntary sector and government departments.

The impact was already visible in Suffolk, where local disruption included school closures, recycling centres shutting early and changes to businesses and public events. Fourteen schools closed for the day, and Hilly Ridge Alpacas in Wattisham hosed down 60 alpacas, including pregnant animals, to help them cope with the heat. Footfall and trade also fell in some places as workers and customers sought shade and cooler conditions.

The summer of 1976 remains the UK’s hottest on record by average maximum temperature, with drought, standpipes, wildfires, crop losses and water restrictions. The country’s all-time highest temperature remains 40.3C, set at Coningsby in 2022.