UK Hits 38C as Amber Heat Warning Covers Most of England
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Kew Gardens recorded a provisional 38.1C on Thursday, the UK's hottest day of 2026 so far, marking the second time 38C has been reached in a calendar year — after Lingwood, Norfolk hit the same mark on 26 June, a feat previously achieved only in 2022
- An amber extreme heat warning covers Eastern England, London, the South East, the Midlands, North West England, South West England, and parts of Yorkshire and Humber, in force until 23:59 BST
- The UK Health Security Agency issued amber heat health alerts across all of England until 21:00 BST on 14 August, warning of significant impacts on health and social care services including a rise in deaths among those aged 65 and over or with pre-existing conditions
- Thursday provisionally set a new record for the most days in a calendar year reaching 37C or above — nine such occasions since records began, with three of them in 2026 alone
- Thursday was the 38th day this year with UK temperatures exceeding 30C, breaking the previous annual record of 34 days
- A tropical night — with temperatures failing to drop below 20C — is forecast as increasingly humid air spreads into western areas, adding overnight heat stress on top of daytime highs
- If August temperatures remain average or above for the month as a whole, summer 2026 will replace 2025 as the warmest on record
Why it matters: The UK is breaking heat records not in days but in seasons — 38 days above 30C this year versus the prior record of 34, with three of the nine historically recorded 37C+ days occurring in 2026 alone — while UKHSA explicitly warns of excess deaths among over-65s during a tropical night that prevents the body from recovering from daytime heat stress.
Ask SkimNews
