Even for the most dedicated sun-lover, the novelty of Britain’s series of heatwaves wore off long ago. Weeks of baking temperatures with no rain have caused wildfires and left gardeners facing hosepipe bans and farmers reporting poor harvests.
For most of us, the extreme heat has been uncomfortable at best, dangerous at worst. British homes tend to be designed to keep heat in rather than out, and many people have endured weeks of sweltering temperatures both inside and outside.
This summer’s record-breaking temperatures are no one-off. Met Office data published last week shows 2025 was the hottest year on record, and that the hottest day of the year in the south of England is now typically 4.5C warmer than it was in the three decades to 1990.
Shorts
Weather that was once considered extreme is becoming normal, and as Met Office climate information scientist Mike Kendon put it, the “climate of the 20th century has now gone”.
