The Met Office has said the UK’s mean temperature from 1 June to 17 August currently stands at 16.2°C, which is 1.6°C above the long-term meteorological average.
With two weeks of summer still to go, conditions may yet shift.
“However, the season’s overall warmth and consistency in above-average temperatures suggest it could rank among the UK’s warmest summers on record.
Met Office scientist, Emily Carlisle said, “It’s looking like this summer is on track to be one of the warmest, if not ‘the’ warmest, since the series began in 1884.
“What’s striking is the consistency of the warmth. June and July were both well above average and even outside of heatwaves, temperatures have remained on the warmer side.
“This persistent warmth is driven by a combination of factors including dry ground from spring, high-pressure systems, and unusually warm seas around the UK.
“These conditions have created an environment where heat builds quickly and lingers. While we haven’t seen record-breaking highs – 35.8°C is the peak so far this year – the overall trend in consistently above-average temperatures is what matters.
“At present, the warmest UK summers on record are pretty clustered. They include 2018 as the warmest, then 2006, 2003, 2022 and 1976.
“With two weeks still to go, things could of course change, but the data so far strongly suggests we’re heading towards one of the UK’s hottest summers on record.”
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