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

Overnight impacts as Austen hits. Power cuts, travel issues. . . Friday, 23 October 2026
Split image showing floodwater surging beneath a railway bridge at night and a wind map with low pressure over the English Channel and 60 mph near Brest.
Friday, 23 October 2026

Power cuts, travel issues

Overnight impacts as Austen hits
Storm Austen approaches. What to expect tonight. . . Thursday, 22 October 2026
Split image showing a wind map with 65 mph near Brest and a swirling storm south of England, beside a man wearing glasses and holding a microphone.
Thursday, 22 October 2026

What to expect tonight

Storm Austen approaches
Calmer autumn views on a stormy week. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday, 25 October 2026
Split image showing swirling orange-pink sunset clouds above green countryside and golden wispy clouds over a tree-lined car park.
Sunday, 25 October 2026

Your weather - Your shots

Calmer autumn views on a stormy week
All weather news

This might also interest you

Flooding, gales, and heavy snow. Storm Chandra. . . Tuesday, 27 January 2026
Split image showing aerial flooding in a town with muddy water covering roads on the left, and a rural road on the right blocked by heavy snowfall with vans stopped and a person walking in snow.
Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Storm Chandra

Flooding, gales, and heavy snow
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
New records for England and Wales. Broken again tomorrow?. . . Thursday, 25 June 2026
Temperature map of southwest Britain on 25.06 showing extreme heat across southern Wales and southwest England, with Bute Park in Cardiff highlighted at 34.2°C and Yeovilton at 36.4°C amid widespread deep red heat zones.
Thursday, 25 June 2026

Broken again tomorrow?

New records for England and Wales
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