Temperatures soar to 38C as amber extreme heat warning in effect
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- Kew Gardens recorded the UK's hottest temperature of 2026 so far at 38.1C (100F) on Thursday, the second time this year temperatures have hit 38C after Lingwood, Norfolk reached the same mark on 26 June.
- The Met Office issued a rare amber extreme heat warning covering 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 including a rise in deaths among those aged 65 and over or with pre-existing health conditions.
- Tropical night conditions are forecast as increasingly humid air pushes into western areas, with overnight temperatures failing to drop below 20C and adding cumulative stress on the body.
- Thursday provisionally set a new record for the most days in a calendar year reaching 37C or above — only the ninth such occurrence since records began, with three of those nine falling in 2026 alone.
- 2026 has now seen 38 days with UK temperatures exceeding 30C, surpassing the previous annual record of 34 days, while Wednesday became the first August day ever to reach 35C, making it the fourth consecutive month at that threshold.
Why it matters: Three of the nine calendar years on record with 37C+ days are now in 2026 alone, and the UK is on track to surpass 2025 as its warmest summer ever. The UK Health Security Agency is explicitly warning of increased deaths among over-65s and those with health conditions through 14 August, making the amber alert an immediate public-health concern layered on top of the meteorological milestones.
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