The UK has recorded its highest-ever June temperature for the third consecutive day, underlining the extraordinary nature of the June 2026 heatwave that has swept across much of Europe.
On Friday afternoon, 37.3 °C was recorded at Santon Downham in Surrey, surpassing Thursday’s record of 36.7 °C measured at Merryfield in Somerset. That itself had only just eclipsed Wednesday’s new record of 36.1 °C recorded in Gosport, Hampshire.
In the space of just three days, the long-standing June record of 35.6 °C, first set in 1957 and matched during the famous summer of 1976, has been broken three separate times.
The unprecedented sequence highlights how rapidly temperature extremes are shifting as climate change continues to increase both the frequency and intensity of heatwaves.
Three record-breaking days
The succession of new records tells its own story.
On Wednesday, temperatures reached 36.1 °C, narrowly surpassing the previous June record.
Less than 24 hours later, that new record had already been overtaken as temperatures climbed to 36.7 °C. In fact, Wednesday’s high was beaten twice on Thursday first with 36.3 °C and then later with 36.7 °C.
Early on Friday a new June high of 37.1 °C was reached in Cavendish in Surrey. With the mercury continuing to rise into the afternoon 37.3 °C was measured in Santon Downham – also in Surrey.
Breaking an all-time national monthly temperature record is, at least until now, a rare occurrence. Doing so on three consecutive days is virtually unprecedented in modern UK climate records.
The temperatures came after the Met Office warned early in the week that southern England could experience exceptional heat, with forecasts suggesting temperatures approaching 39 °C and potentially nearing the 40 °C threshold first breached during the record-breaking summer of 2022.
A heatwave affecting much of Europe
The UK’s record temperatures formed part of a much wider European heatwave that has rewritten climate records across the continent.
France recorded an extraordinary 44.3 °C in Pissos (Landes), establishing a new June national record while dozens of departments were placed under the highest heat alert.
Switzerland exceeded 37 °C in June for the first time since national records began, with Basel reaching 38 °C, comfortably surpassing a record that had stood since 1947.
Elsewhere, exceptionally high overnight temperatures, prolonged periods above 40 °C across southern Europe and widespread heat alerts have placed millions of people under dangerous conditions.
Human cost continues to rise
The heatwave has also carried a significant human cost.
Preliminary estimates indicate that more than 300 people have died in Spain as a result of the extreme heat, while France has reported dozens of heat-related fatalities and drownings as people sought relief from soaring temperatures. In the UK, at least 20 people have so far died.
Health authorities across Europe have repeatedly warned that prolonged exposure to extreme heat presents one of the continent’s fastest-growing climate risks, particularly for older people, young children and those with underlying health conditions.
WHO warns Europe is warming faster than the global average
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described the current heatwave as another warning of Europe’s accelerating climate crisis.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said:
Europe’s heatwave is closing schools and putting people’s health at risk. The data are clear: temperatures across Europe are rising at roughly twice the global average rate, increasing the likelihood and severity of extreme heat in the future. We cannot afford further delay. Leaders must prioritise investment in climate-resilient health systems, while also accelerating climate action and mitigating the drivers of the climate crisis.
His warning came as countries across Europe continued to activate emergency heat plans and public health measures.
Climate change is loading the dice
No single heatwave can be attributed solely to climate change.
However, scientists have consistently shown that rising global temperatures make extreme heat events significantly more likely, more frequent, more intense and longer lasting. Only last month, the UK set a new all-time high May temperature record.
The UK’s latest June records fit a broader pattern observed over recent decades, with national heat records increasingly being challenged as greenhouse gas emissions continue to warm the atmosphere.
The fact that a record which stood for half a century has now been broken three days in succession illustrates just how quickly climate extremes are changing.
As Europe enters what is climatologically the warmest part of the summer, scientists warn that the current heatwave may prove to be only the beginning of another challenging season.
Anders Lorenzen is the founding Editor of A greener life, a greener world.
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