Home
Weather London
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
Career
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    Hottest day of the year so far and close to all-time August record

15:44
13 August 2026

Close to August record
Hottest day of the year so far

Temperature map of London showing 38.1°C at Kew Gardens, with surrounding readings of 35–36°C and deep red shading indicating extreme heat.
A high recorded at Kew Gardens marks the hottest temperature of 2026.

Thursday has become the hottest day of the year in the UK after temperatures passed 38 degrees in London.

With a reading of 38.1°C at Kew Gardens Thursday afternoon, the day fractionally replaces the previous high for the year from June when a high of 38°C was recorded in Lingwood, Norfolk.

There is still a slight chance that the all-time August record temperature could be broken too. This currently stands at 38.5°C from 2003.

If the August record does not fall, it is unlikely to be beaten soon with temperatures dropping into the weekend as the heatwave across parts of England eases.

In London, the daily high on Sunday will fall by over 10 degrees to around 25°C. It's cooler still in the Midlands, Nottingham is expected to see a high around 19°C on Sunday, falling from the mid-30s.

August record check

The existing August record temperature from 2003, recorded at Faversham, Kent is now recognised as being from a weather station later found to be unreliable. The second hottest day ever stands at 38.1°C, now matched, also at Kew Gardens where this year's high was recorded.

Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
Low delivers days of gusty conditions. Into the weekend. . . Thursday, 17 September 2026
Wind map showing low pressure near the Faroe Islands, with winds reaching 35 mph around Aberdeen and Dublin and stronger Atlantic winds west of the UK.
Thursday, 17 September 2026

Into the weekend

Low delivers days of gusty conditions
Warm weather despite the start of autumn. Temperatures worldwide. . . Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Temperature Radar for the Northern Hemisphere
Wednesday, 23 September 2026

Temperatures worldwide

Warm weather despite the start of autumn
Hurricane POLO remains dangerous. Many storms in the Pacific. . . Thursday, 24 September 2026
Thursday, 24 September 2026

Many storms in the Pacific

Hurricane POLO remains dangerous
All weather news
This might also interest you
Super Typhoon Bavi threatens Taiwan. Up to 1,000 mm of rain. . . Wednesday, 8 July 2026
The image shows an intense tropical cyclone over the western Pacific, east of Taiwan and the Philippines. The centre of the system is depicted as a light purple and white vortex with a clearly visible eye, surrounded by a ring of red and orange areas indicating the strongest wind speeds. A white arrow marks the typhoon’s predicted track towards the north-west, in the direction of Taiwan. To the west of the storm lie the Philippines, with the cities of Manila and Cebu; to the north of these lies Taiwan, with Taipei. Further west, the Chinese coast, including Hong Kong, and parts of Vietnam can be seen. The coloured wind map shows predominantly green areas outside the storm’s core, indicating significantly weaker winds. White streamlines illustrate the typhoon’s anti-clockwise circulation in the Northern Hemisphere. The highest wind speeds are concentrated around the eye of the cyclone.
Wednesday, 8 July 2026

Up to 1,000 mm of rain

Super Typhoon Bavi threatens Taiwan
A stormy week in the skies above. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday, 30 August 2026
Split image showing lightning branching beneath dark storm clouds above rooftops on the left and an orange-pink sunset over a calm sea on the right.
Sunday, 30 August 2026

Your weather - Your shots

A stormy week in the skies above
Historic Storm Éowyn arrives. On this day.... . . Saturday, 24 January 2026
Split image showing a person in a yellow jacket struggling against strong winds and heavy rain on a street at night on the left, and an Irish wind forecast map on the right with red and purple shading, gusts up to 75 mph, and a wind warning icon, divided by a curved white line.
Saturday, 24 January 2026

On this day...

Historic Storm Éowyn arrives
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwittertikToklinkList