UK Temperatures Soar to 38C Under Amber Heat Warning
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- UK Met Office issued a rare amber extreme heat warning for Thursday across eastern England, London, the south-east, the Midlands, north-west England, south-west England and parts of Yorkshire and Humber, with temperatures set to reach 38C (100F).
- UK Health Security Agency activated amber heat health alerts for all of England until 21:00 BST on 14 August, warning of a rise in deaths particularly among those aged 65 and over or with pre-existing health conditions.
- Charlwood in Surrey recorded 36.4C on Thursday, making 2026 provisionally the first year on record with four separate days at 36C or above.
- The heatwave — the UK's fifth widespread of 2026 — is expected to last three days at most, with temperatures easing toward the weekend though remaining at or above the mid-August average.
- Tropical nights with temperatures failing to drop below 20C are forecast in western areas as increasingly humid air spreads in, compounding the cumulative stress of day-and-night heat.
- A reading of 38C would match this summer's high set at Lingwood, Norfolk on 26 June, falling just short of the all-time August record of 38.5C set in 2003.
Why it matters: Four consecutive months with 35C+ days and 2026 provisionally the first year ever with four 36C+ days put this summer on track to surpass 2025 as the UK's warmest on record. The UK Health Security Agency specifically flags a rise in deaths among those aged 65 and over as the heat peaks, attaching a concrete human cost to the record-breaking temperatures.
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