UK records hottest June day on record

The UK has recorded its hottest June day on record, with temperatures reaching 35.7C in Charlwood, Surrey, on Wednesday.

The reading surpassed the previous June record of 35.6C, set in Camden Square, London, in 1957 and matched in Southampton in 1976. It is not the UK’s all-time temperature record, which remains 40.3C in Coningsby, Lincolnshire, in July 2022.

Record heat arrives

The new benchmark was reached after several days of escalating warnings about unusually severe heat and humidity. An amber extreme heat warning was issued on June 19 for southern England and south-east Wales, signalling that the spell could become disruptive well before the record was broken.

By June 22, the Met Office had moved to a rare red weather warning for extreme heat and humidity. The UK Health Security Agency also issued a red heat health alert, underscoring the risk to public health as temperatures continued to climb.

The Guardian reported at 3.02pm on Wednesday that the UK had broken its June temperature record at 35.7C in Surrey. Later reporting confirmed that the country had indeed reached its hottest June day on record.

Warnings and public health risk

The red weather warning initially covered Wednesday and Thursday, and was later extended to the south coast. The health alert covered six regions of England from 1am Wednesday until 11pm Thursday.

Officials have framed the warning in terms of direct health risk, especially for older people and those with underlying conditions. London Ambulance Service said it had deployed more than 400 extra ambulance crews to cope with expected demand.

The heat is also putting pressure on services that rely on staff, transport and infrastructure functioning normally in already difficult conditions. The warnings are intended to reduce the strain on those systems while temperatures remain elevated.

Transport and service disruption

The heat has already caused visible disruption across the country. Rail services have been running more slowly in places, and some trains have been cancelled as operators respond to the conditions.

Schools and events have also changed plans or closed altogether in some areas. The disruption reflects both the intensity of the heat and the wider strain on services during what forecasters have described as an unusually severe spell for late June.

Wider European heatwave

The UK conditions are part of a broader heatwave affecting much of Europe. Reports from France, Spain, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands have described dangerous temperatures and heat-related disruption across the continent.

That wider context matters because the UK record is unfolding alongside a regional surge in heat rather than as an isolated event. It also helps explain why weather agencies across Europe have been issuing repeated alerts and why officials are treating the current period as a public health and infrastructure issue, not just a temporary spell of warm weather.

What happens next

Forecasters will now be watching whether temperatures rise further elsewhere in England, whether the red warning is extended again, and how long the current disruption lasts.

The record itself may still be subject to routine official confirmation or adjustment if the Met Office updates its observations, but the current reading of 35.7C in Charlwood is the figure now being reported by multiple major outlets.

The broader question is how long the country can stay under pressure from the heat. For now, the immediate focus remains on health warnings, transport reliability and whether the peak has already passed or if more severe conditions are still to come.