Warmest June on record for England, second-warmest for UK, says Met Office

A punishing heatwave affected many parts of the country during the last week of the month.Last month was provisionally the warmest June in England since records began, as well as the second-warmest for the United Kingdom, according to figures published by the country’s Met Office.Rare extreme heat warnings were issued for several days last month, with “exceptionally warm overnight temperatures”, the weather agency said on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘London cooking’: Why can’t the UK cope with the heat; when will it adapt?list 2 of 4World’s oceans experience hottest June ever, scientists say more heat aheadlist 3 of 4Heatwave scorches east Europe as Slovakia, Czechia see record temperatureslist 4 of 4More than 1,300 deaths in Europe amid heatwave: What can countries do?end of listEngland registered an average temperature of 17.1C (62.78 degrees Fahrenheit) last month – the highest since records began in 1884.“The exceptional warmth was driven by an intense and record-breaking heatwave at the end of the month,” the Met Office said in a statement.The previous record of 16.9C (62.4F) was set in June 2025, nearly 3C (5.4F) above the long-term average. It means England’s top three warmest Junes since data began in 1884 have all occurred this decade, with the third being in 2023.A punishing heatwave affected many parts of the country during the last week of the month, with temperatures topping 30C (86F) at some places in the UK for seven days in a row from June 21-27.A peak of 37.7C (99.86F) was provisionally reached at Lingwood in Norfolk on June 26 – the highest maximum temperature ever recorded for the month.This was more than 2C higher (3.6F) than the previous June record of 35.6C (96.08F), set in 1957 at Camden Square in London and equalled in 1976 at Mayflower Park in Southampton.Last month also saw a provisional new June record for the highest overnight minimum, with temperatures at Cardiff Bute Park dropping no lower than 23.5C (74.3F) on June 25.