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England chalked up its warmest June since records began in 1884, the United Kingdom’s weather agency said on Wednesday, after a month that saw temperatures soar to new highs.
Rare extreme heat warnings were issued for several days last month, which was also the second-warmest June on record for the UK as a whole, with “exceptionally warm overnight temperatures,” the Met Office said.
England registered an average temperature of 17.1C last month compared to 16.9C in June 2025.
“The exceptional warmth was driven by an intense and record-breaking heatwave at the end of the month,” the Met Office said in its press release.
Scientists warn that extreme weather events such as heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of human-induced climate change.
The temperature record for June was broken multiple times last week during a heatwave which disrupted Britain’s transport network, schools and hospitals, and also scorched parts of Europe.
Climate experts have urged the UK government to adapt its infrastructure to warming summers, with a surge in demand for fans and air conditioners, which remain rare in British homes.
The provisional highest-ever June temperature of 37.7C was set on Friday in Norfolk, eastern England.
Climate change was “unequivocally” responsible for the intensity of the heatwave, the World Weather Attribution group of scientists said last week, adding such exceptional temperatures in June would have been “virtually impossible” 50 years ago.
“June’s high temperatures are part of a broader pattern of warmth during 2026,” said Met Office scientist Emily Carlisle, pointing out that the UK had experienced above average temperatures every month this year except for January.
Additional sources • AFP