Thirteen days. That’s how long parts of southern England have been baking, unbroken.
Merryfield in Somerset hit 30.6°C (87.1°F) on Thursday. It makes for twelve consecutive days at or above 33°F hotter than our normal threshold. The longest spell like this since 2006, really.
Bournemouth and Heathrow haven’t cooled down either. Nearly two weeks of staying above 26°C and 28°C respectively. Some cooler air is drifting in from the north this weekend. Maybe a breather. Probably just a pause before it gets hot again.
The 1976 record? 16 days above 30°C. Unlikely to break that.
It’s the duration that hits hardest. Why so long?
First, climate change. It’s not slow, it’s fast. The UK average is 1.33°C warmer than the 1961-11990 baseline. But the really hot days? Those are warming three times faster. In Greater London, we’ve added 4.5°C to peak temps.
Then there’s the jet stream. It’s looping far to the north. High pressure sat on top of us like a lid. Warm air drifted south. It stayed put.
We got a heat dome.
Air sinks, compresses, heats up. Hits the ground, dries out. No clouds. No shade. Just strong sunshine pumping the earth.
2026 is already breaking records. May and June shattered monthly temperature marks by over two degrees. This is our third heatwave this year. Last year? Also a third one around now. But July 2024 only gave us four days above 30°C in the south.
July 2026 has twelve.
Parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland felt it too, but it wasn’t as intense or long-lasting.
People compare it to ’76. Fair point. But while 1976 holds the duration record, 2026 hits higher highs. More very hot days.
And it’s dry. Wisley in Surrey hasn’t seen rain in 30 days. Most of Wales and Northern Ireland are in rainfall deficits too. Western Scotland is wetter, lucky break. But no droughts anywhere right now unlike the widespread crisis back in ’76.
Intensity matters. Six days above 35°C. First time ever we’ve hit that mark in May, June, and July consecutively.
We are getting used to the heat, maybe. But the numbers keep climbing.
