The Met Office says summer 2026 is on course to become the UK’s hottest summer on record, with temperatures expected to peak again after a period already marked by extreme weather.
The outlets cite provisional figures from the Met Office, indicating that the remainder of August only needs to be around average to beat the current record. The record being targeted was set in 2025. Metro adds that the UK would need to reach near the 2025 summer mean temperature figures, with only a very small shortfall from the long-term average required.
Different reports focus on the same central point: that the forecast does not require unusually warm conditions for the rest of August, just average conditions, for 2026 to overtake the latest record. Daily Record and BBC both highlight the likelihood of a new all-time high, while other outlets emphasize the specific comparison to 2025 and how modest the remaining August requirement is.
