The UK is on course for its hottest summer on record, the Met Office says, with only average conditions needed for the rest of August to beat the existing heat record.
Provisional Met Office statistics show that the UK’s mean temperature for this year’s meteorological summer – 1 June to 10 August – so far is 16.48°C, 1.88°C higher than the 1991-2020 average. The current record of 16.1°C was set last year.
The record is set to be broken as the country faces a sixth heatwave this week, with 36°C forecasted in some parts of the country on Thursday. Three-quarters of the country – around 45 million people – are now living in drought conditions, with more restrictions on water use likely to come.
An unprecedented dry spell
The country has seen heatwave conditions in at least one area for 37 consecutive days.
