How the 2026 heatwave compares to 1976’s record-breaking summer

The UK is entering extremely hot temperatures this week, as the Met Office warns parts of England and Wales could reach 39 to 40C. Comparisons are being drawn to the summer of 1976 - a season which is still regarded as the benchmark for British heatwaves. Forecasters say this week’s weather may exceed the June 1976 record of 35.6C by several degrees, with the UK also edging close to its all-time high of 40.3C recorded in 2022. Emma Pinchbeck, CEO of the Climate Change Committee, has warned that due to global warming, the June 2026 heatwave is an example of what we will see “ much more regularly across the next few decades.” She told The Independent: “In 2050, we're saying that temperatures of 40C will become, if not a typical summer, certainly a frequent occurrence... “ This will not be unusual, remarkable, once-in-a-decade stuff. This will happen fairly regularly, if not every year.”

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