England records its hottest June on record

England's hottest June on record

England has had its hottest June on record, according to Met Office data reported on July 1. The monthly benchmark came after a late-June heatwave that drove temperatures sharply higher, brought rare red extreme heat warnings and added to a run of exceptional warmth already seen in 2026.

The Met Office also said Wales and the UK as a whole had their second-warmest June since 1884, underscoring how widespread the heat was across the country. The June record followed the warmest spring on record for England and Wales, and the third-warmest spring for the UK.

The figures are still provisional pending the Met Office’s final monthly bulletin, but the England record itself is a clear marker of how severe the month was.

Late-month heatwave

The hottest spell arrived in the final days of June. Coverage citing the Met Office said the UK reached a provisional June temperature high of 37.7C in Lingwood, Norfolk, on June 27.

That heatwave also produced the UK's first three consecutive days of red extreme heat warnings since the warning category was introduced in 2021. Those warnings reflected the public-health risks associated with intense heat, especially for older people, young children and anyone with existing health conditions.

Temperatures stayed high overnight too. Met Office scientists said the event was notable for frequent tropical nights, when temperatures do not fall below 20C, and said England’s overnight temperatures were 2.6C above average.

What the Met Office said

Met Office scientist Emily Carlisle said five of the first six months of 2026 were at least 1C above average, with January the only month below average. That made June part of a broader pattern rather than an isolated warm spell.

Met Office chief scientist Stephen Belcher said human-induced climate change has made heatwaves like this more likely and more intense. The assessment places the June event in the context of a warming climate and a year that has repeatedly run above seasonal averages.

Wider impacts and what comes next

The Met Office said the heat carried risks beyond discomfort. Public health was a concern, and the event also had implications for transport, energy and water supply.

That broader pressure matters because hot nights can limit recovery time for vulnerable people and strain systems that are already dealing with high daytime temperatures. The combination of heat by day and warmth by night is one reason this event drew so much attention from forecasters and health officials.

Further official detail is still expected. The next key checkpoint is the Met Office’s final June climate statistics, which could confirm or adjust the provisional figures now being reported. Follow-up reporting may also bring clearer evidence on health impacts, service disruption and any heat-related incidents linked to the spell.