Historic Heatwave Ends

What a week it has been! The UK June maximum temperature record was broken multiple times at several locations with the new provisional record now standing at 37.3°C, set at Santon Downham in Suffolk on 26 June 2026. However, a number of other locations also exceeded the previous record of 35.6°C, which had stood since June 1976.

The heat extended into parts of Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland too. A new Welsh June maximum temperature record was set when 35.9°C was reached at Bute Park in Cardiff on 25 June. It was also here that the UK and Welsh highest minimum temperature records were provisionally set with the temperature falling no lower than 23.5°C overnight from Thursday into Friday. On the same night, the English record was also provisionally set, with Plymouth dropping no lower than 23.0°C. Remarkably, these figures are higher than the average June daytime maximum temperature.

For Northern Ireland, the country provisionally matched its warmest June day on record, with 30.8°C recorded at Castlederg on 25 June, equalling the figure first set in June 1976. Murlough, meanwhile, provisionally broke Northern Ireland's highest minimum temperature record when the mercury fell no lower than 19.1°C on Thursday night.

For those of you in Scotland, you are probably wondering what all the fuss is about with temperatures here not reaching the same heights. However, there were some big thunderstorms, bringing torrential downpours, hail and some spectacular lightning displays.

So, what's next? Well, for those of you who have found the heat too much or have simply had enough, the good news is that conditions during the coming week will return to something much more typical for the end of June and the beginning of July. Cooler and fresher air will extend across all regions and, although Atlantic weather systems will occasionally bring cloudier skies and spells of rain or showers, there will still be plenty of fine summer weather to enjoy. Temperatures will be much closer to normal, although it will remain rather warm across parts of the south and east so for Wimbledon much of the first week looks pretty good weather wise.

METEOROLOGIST : BARBER