Heatwave makes 2018 one of hottest summers on record for UK

This year was the joint-hottest summer on record for the UK as a whole and the hottest for England, the Met Office has said.

UK temperatures for June to August 2018 reveal that this year is top of the league table in records dating back to 1910, along with 2006, 2003 and 1976, all of which are within 0.03C of each other.

England saw its hottest summer on record, with average temperatures narrowly beating those seen in 1976, but it is not the warmest for the other nations of the UK, the figures show.

Summer 2018 was notably dry and sunny too, although the dry, sweltering conditions seen in much of the country in June and July gave way to a much more average August, the Met Office said.

To the nearest 0.1C, all four years – 2018, 2006, 2003 and 1976 – saw an average temperature for the summer of 15.8C (60.4F).

In the Central England Temperature (CET) series, which only covers an area of central England but dates back to 1659, this summer slips behind 1976 and 1826 for the hottest June to August.

Only 10 summers in the CET series have recorded average temperatures above 17C, six of which have occurred since 1976 and only two of which were pre-20th century.

This is consistent with the general picture of the climate warming globally and in the UK, the Met Office said.

Autumn also looks set to get off to a good start, with high pressure dominating the UK’s weather, with warm, dry and sunny days for many in the first part of September, the forecasters said.