We are almost halfway through Summer 2026 and your perception of it so far will very much depend on your location. If you live in the north and northwest of Scotland, you are probably wondering where summer is: if you live in southern England, you are probably wondering when it will finally end!
There have certainly been some stark contrasts in the weather across Britain and Ireland over the past few weeks. Much of the north and northwest has experienced cooler and wetter-than-average conditions, whilst a series of heatwaves has affected many parts of England and Wales.
Already, this summer is finding its place in the record books. The UK has exceeded a maximum temperature of 34°C on nine separate days during a single calendar year for the first time since records began in 1884, whilst temperatures have reached 35°C or higher on six separate days. Perhaps even more remarkably, for the first time on record, temperatures of at least 35°C have been recorded somewhere in the UK during May, June and July of the same year.
The fine, dry and very warm weather looks set to continue for several more days. Finally, the north and northwest should also enjoy more settled conditions as high pressure becomes slow-moving over, or close to, northern Britain. However, with an increasing east to northeast breeze, the hottest conditions are likely to become focused across western and southwestern parts of the UK whilst eastern coastal areas will be noticeably cooler.
There remains the possibility of a thundery area of low pressure pushing northwards from the near continent during the middle or latter part of next week bringing the risk of heavy showers and thunderstorms to some areas. Confidence in the details remains relatively low at this stage, so keep an eye on the latest forecasts over the coming days.
METEOROLOGIST : BARBER
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