UK heatwave latest: Hot weather breaks another record as temperatures hit 34C
The Met Office confirmed that Thursday saw temperatures exceed 34 degrees, marking the eighth day in 2026.
The forecasting agency said 2026 would be a record year with the highest number of days in a calendar year reaching 34C or higher.
It broke the previous record of seven days, set in both 1976 and the summer of 2020.
While the country is sweltering in the third heat wave of the year, temperatures are expected to reach their peak on Thursday and Friday.
Temperatures across the UK will “substantially exceed 30C”, while some parts of England could hit 36C, the Met Office said.
This succession of unusually warm periods is causing increasing impacts on health, agriculture, water resources, energy, wildfire risks and transportation.
This comes as scientists warn that these weather events are becoming more intense and more frequent due to human-caused climate change, largely driven by the burning of fossil fuels.
Following the hottest spring on record and multiple heat waves, concerns are growing that some parts of the country may face drought this year.
Officials from the National Drought Group recently said East Anglia, as well as Devon and Cornwall, were facing particularly ongoing dry conditions.
Some hosepipe bans have been announced as water companies attempt to manage increasingly limited resources.
Cambridge Water announces temporary cyclone for 350,000 customers; This marks the first time he has imposed restrictions in three decades.
In an announcement Thursday afternoon, the utility said its crews were working around the clock to maintain supply, but local water supplies were “currently under significant pressure” and demand had reached record levels following low rainfall levels.
South East Water was the first to impose the ban, which came into force on July 3 for parts of Kent, including Ashford, Canterbury, Faversham, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Snodland, Tenterden and Tunbridge Wells.
Hose pipe restrictions are also being introduced for nearly a million Southern Water customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from Friday.
On Wednesday, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) advised people to avoid using disposable barbecues in the open countryside, parks and moors, flagging an increased risk of bushfires due to dry, hot weather.
Meanwhile, Britain’s electricity grid operator has made another appeal to the industry for more power generation amid the year’s third heatwave.
The National Energy System Operator (Neso) said a tight period in electricity margins was expected on Thursday evening due to “extreme temperatures” in Europe.
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