UK sees hottest day of the year as 38.1C recorded in Kew Gardens
Summary
The UK has recorded its hottest day of 2026 with a temperature of 38.1°C at Kew Gardens, London, making it the fifth hottest day ever. The heatwave has caused droughts, water shortages, health risks, and wildfires across much of England and Wales.Key Facts
- The highest temperature this year in the UK was 38.1°C at Kew Gardens, London.
- This is the UK’s fifth hottest day on record and part of the fifth heatwave of 2026.
- An amber heat health alert is active across England until 9 pm on Friday due to risks to health and social care.
- Around 45 million people in England live in drought conditions, with over 27 million facing water use restrictions like hosepipe bans.
- Thousands of homes in east London and Essex have water supply problems after pipe bursts caused outages.
- England’s emergency departments experienced their busiest summer ever, with over 2,800 heat-related deaths in May and June.
- More than 1,000 wildfires have been reported in England and Wales this year, matching last year’s record.
- A large wildfire in Hampshire involved about 130 firefighters tackling an area the size of 230 football pitches.
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