Last month was the hottest June on record for England, and the second warmest in Wales, the Met Office said.
Temperatures broke the previous record of 35.6C set in Southampton in June 1976 on three consecutive days last week, as weather bosses issued a rare “danger to life” red warning across parts of the UK. The new record temperature was provisionally set in Lingwood, in Norfolk, on Friday, with the mercury climbing to 37.7C.
Forecasters said “exceptionally warm overnight temperatures” during the latest heatwave helped to “drive the highest average minimum temperatures on record for the UK, England and Wales”.
For the whole of the UK, June 2026 provisionally ranks as the second-warmest June on record, behind only June 2023. Wales recorded its second warmest, while Scotland and Northern Ireland both saw their joint fourth-warmest June since 1884.
The heatwave was caused by a “heat dome” across western Europe which has been linked to around 1,300 deaths, according to forecasters. Met Office deputy chief meteorologist, Greg Wolverson, said the temperatures are a “result of human-induced climate change”.
“This June is a clear example of how UK weather can deliver both unsettled conditions and record-breaking heat within the same month,” Met Office scientist Dr Emily Carlisle said. “The intensity of the late June heatwave, combined with exceptionally warm nights, has driven England’s warmest June on record for mean temperature, while the UK and Wales recorded their second warmest June on record.
“Coming 50 years after the 1976 heatwave, it also highlights how similar events are now playing out in a warmer climate, with higher temperatures and more widespread impacts than we would have seen in the past.”
It comes as a new yellow heat health alert has been issued across the south of England and parts of the Midlands, as more hot weather is expected to reach the UK this weekend.
The warning is in place from midday on Saturday 4 July until 5pm on Wednesday 8 July and covers the East Midlands, South East, South West, east of England and London.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the hot weather could have an impact across health and social care services, including a greater risk to life for vulnerable people and a possible increase in water-related incidents, like cold-water shock and drowning.
Forecasters have warned that temperatures can be expected to rise at the weekend, with a return of heatwave conditions looking “increasingly likely”.
Tony Wisson, Met Office deputy chief forecaster, said: “The forecast for this weekend suggests that temperatures could approach high 20C across parts of England, perhaps 30C in parts of the southeast, with values of mid to high 20C in Wales.
“Although a return to heatwave conditions is looking increasingly likely for some areas, the likelihood of such extreme high temperatures or high levels of humidity as last week is currently low.”
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