The Met Office confirmed on 13 August 2026 that a provisional reading of 38.1C was recorded at Kew Gardens, west London, making it the hottest day of the year so far in the United Kingdom. The reading marks the second time this year that temperatures in the UK have reached 38C, a feat previously achieved only in 2022, and it now ranks as the fifth hottest day ever recorded nationally. Meanwhile, gale-force winds fanned a fast-moving wildfire on the Chalkidiki peninsula in northern Greece, forcing hundreds of tourists and residents to flee by land and sea.
The previous high point for 2026 stood at 38C, recorded on 28 June. Temperatures also reached 38C in Pershore, Worcestershire, on 13 August, while the Met Office said 40 locations across central and southern England logged readings of 36C or higher.
"This current spell of extreme heat is the latest in a remarkable summer," said chief forecaster Neil Armstrong.
Overnight temperatures in London were forecast to remain above 20C, a threshold the Met Office formally classifies as a "tropical night". According to reporting from the day's rolling coverage, this was the ninth day in 2026 on which temperatures exceeded 35C somewhere in England, extending an already record-breaking tally for the year, and the episode is being described by forecasters as the fifth heatwave of the summer.
How does 13 August compare with the rest of the summer?
By midday, the Met Office said temperatures had already reached 36.4C at Charlwood in Surrey and 35.1C at Wisley, with several other sites, including Westonbirt in Gloucestershire and Heathrow, above 34C, according to the same live coverage. Those figures were later overtaken by the afternoon's 38.1C reading at Kew Gardens.
The Met Office noted that before 2026 the UK had recorded 37C or higher on only six occasions in its history, yet this year alone that mark has already been reached three times.
"Before 2026, the UK had recorded 37C or higher on only six occasions. This year alone, we've already reached that mark three times."
This summer's run of extreme heat follows a pattern established earlier in the year. The UK broke its May heat record twice in succession, with London exceeding 35C and the spike causing transport delays, water shortages in Kent and multiple heat-related deaths. The following month, the UK recorded its hottest June day at 36.1C in Hampshire, breaking marks that had stood since 1976 and 1957 and triggering school closures, transport disruption and red heat warnings. By early August, the UK had already broken its record for the number of days above 30C in a single year, prompting Prime Minister Andy Burnham to convene an emergency Cobra meeting on drought and wildfire risk.
What warnings are in place across England?
A rare amber warning for extreme heat, already covering large parts of the country, was expanded during the day to take in more of North West England, including parts of Cheshire and Greater Manchester, as well as Gloucestershire and Wiltshire in the south-west and Shropshire and Herefordshire in the west, the Press Association reported. The Met Office's forecast for the alert had pointed to temperatures of around 36C to 37C, with the possibility of reaching 38C, according to the day's coverage.
The current spell follows widespread heat-health alerts issued by the Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency across England on 7 August 2026, ahead of what has been described as an exceptionally dry start to the month, according to a timeline of the UK's 2026 heatwaves. The Met Office had separately forecast that much of southern and central England would face a heatwave this week with temperatures likely to peak near 36C, according to the Met Office's own briefing.
Rail passengers on some networks were advised by operators to travel only if necessary, with services expected to be disrupted by the heat. Athletes competing at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham also felt the effects of the conditions.
What is happening with wildfires in Greece?
Gale-force winds exceeding 100km/h swept across Greece, including Athens, the Aegean, Crete and parts of the mainland, according to the national observatory, placing firefighting services on high alert. The most severe blaze erupted on the Chalkidiki peninsula in the north of the country, an area popular with tourists for its pine forests and turquoise waters.
Footage described by showed people boarding dinghies and fire brigade boats at Siviri as flames tore through nearby woodland and smoke blanketed the sky. More than 140 firefighters, nine aircraft and seven helicopters were deployed to tackle fires burning on both sides of the main road, the local fire brigade said in a statement, and one firefighter was injured.
"Our effort is focused on extinguishing the fire and the safe transport of people," fire brigade spokesperson Giannis Artopios told the Protothema news portal.
Two fire boats, private vessels and the coastguard took part in the evacuation, Artopios said. Officials said 15 boats in total removed tourists and locals from the sandy shores of Siviri on the Kassandra peninsula as a precaution, with Greek media describing the fire as out of control while firefighters, forest commandos and water-dropping aircraft worked to contain it.
Fires also broke out in the Peloponnese and other parts of Greece, with civil protection minister Evangelos Tournas describing the weather conditions as "extreme". Large areas of the country were classified as high fire risk under a "red code" designation for Friday, when gusts already topping 100km/h were expected to peak. In Athens, some of the city's most popular hills were closed to the public as a precaution, and much of the surrounding Attica region was placed on high alert given the combination of heat, dryness and wind. The seasonal Etesian winds, also known as the meltemia, are regarded locally as both a relief and a hazard: while they ease the intensity of the heat, they also tend to fan forest fires. Greece's civil protection body, meeting in emergency session, warned that at least five regions faced their highest wildfire risk on Friday, when the winds were forecast to be strongest. In a contrast with the heat gripping the UK and western Europe, showers were forecast in parts of Greece in the coming days.
How hot is it elsewhere in Europe?
In France, temperatures approached 40C across large areas, with readings of 39C recorded in Lyon, Nantes, Toulouse and Le Mans and 37C in Paris. French broadcaster BFM reported that two towns in the west of the country had exceeded 42C. This followed France's hottest day on record, set in June 2026, when temperatures reached 44C in Pissos in the south-west.
The heatwave gripping France had by 13 August stretched into its 17th day, making it the third-longest period of extreme heat ever recorded in the country, according to Le Figaro. Temperatures were reported at 38C in Bordeaux and Nantes, 36C in Paris and 34C in Montpellier. Météo-France said conditions were expected to ease only over the weekend.
Separately, professional firefighters' unions in France met interior minister Laurent Nuñez to raise concerns about staffing levels and resources following the country's recent wildfires. Union representatives said they were left "very disappointed" by the talks and called for "an intensive mobilisation" alongside a planned protest in Paris at the end of September.
The service "cannot indefinitely compensate for the shortcomings of the system that has long reached its saturation point," a union spokesperson said, calling for more resources to "protect French citizens."
"The time has now come for action," interior minister Laurent Nuñez said on social media, pledging to "continue the dialogue in a constructive and respectful spirit."
Across Europe, more than 135 million people were expected to experience temperatures of 35C or higher on 13 August, underlining the scale of the continent-wide heat episode.
How is the heat affecting daily life in the UK?
Nurses have reportedly been fainting during shifts amid what their union has called "inhumane and impossible" conditions caused by the extreme heat.
Andy Burnham, speaking after a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee, said he was focused on managing the immediate crisis rather than broader climate adaptation policy for now, even as he faced pressure from Labour backbenchers to address the issue more fully.
"It is really important that we deal today with the situation that we are in right now and we focus on making sure that we have the serious incidents under control across the country, and those incidents are under control," he said.
"The bigger questions obviously will come at the right moment in time," he added.
Burnham declined to say whether the summer's extreme heat strengthened the case against renewed drilling in the North Sea, a policy his government is weighing. A former chief scientific adviser to the government has separately warned that the intensity of this summer's heat is only a sign of what is to come, urging faster progress on climate adaptation measures.
