It has been a record-breaking summer across the UK, with three consecutive heatwaves forcing schools to close and a record number of ambulance service callouts as extreme heat gripped the country.
Last month was England’s hottest June on record, the Met Office has confirmed, with temperatures hitting 37.7C in Lingwood, Norfolk, on the 26th. This surpassed the 35.6C set in 1957 and equalled the 1976 record.
This year has marked the first time that temperatures have reached 35C in May, June, and July in the same year as scorching temperatures continue.
The impact of the sweltering conditions has left its mark on sectors across society including wildlife, farming, health, and education.
Prolonged dry conditions have seen a drought declared in parts of Wales, with several areas also under threat in England as farmers warned the conditions could create food shortages later in the year.
Hosepipe bans are also in place for 23 million across the country with warnings they may stay in place all summer as water bosses scramble to preserve dwindling supplies following the driest spring on record in England and Wales.
Wildfires have also broken out across England, while Scotland battled a major blaze in the Cairngorms, following record dry conditions.
It is still too early to tell whether 2026 will become one of the hottest years on record. But Britons have been warned to prepare for more scorching heat after the Met Office said last week that the extreme climate conditions are set to become the new normal due to the climate crisis.
Here is how Britain’s record-breaking summer has impacted the country.
Farming
Farmers have warned the coming days will determine whether supermarkets will be hit by food shortages later in the year following the extreme heat and dry conditions.
Southern and eastern England have had no rain at all this month, the longest spell without it in 30 years, leaving farmers struggling to maintain their crops.
Prolonged dry weather – the stage immediately before drought – has been declared in East Anglia, the West Midlands, Devon, Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire, London, Wessex, Thames, the Solent and the South Downs.
The National Drought Group, whose members include the Met Office, government, regulators, water companies and farmers, says the extreme weather is having a severe effect on the environment and is affecting water supplies and food production.
Farmers say the heat is drying out cereals, while spring barley yields are expected to be hit by a lack of rain earlier in the season.
Some farmers in East Anglia have had to stop abstracting water from rivers because they are so dry.
Harvests have begun early and there is a greater risk of fires breaking out in combine harvesters because of the heat.
Paul Tompkins, NFU deputy president, said: “Parts of the country, particularly in the east and south, have seen exceptionally low rainfall, creating real challenges for farm businesses. For many arable farmers, this could be another difficult and expensive harvest after extreme weather in both 2024 and 2025 which saw both drought and flood.”
Rising temperatures are also likely to impact the kind of crops British farmers can grow in the future. A 2025 study led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) predicted that, by 2080, temperatures in this country would be suitable for crops that traditionally thrive in much hotter parts of the world, including oranges, chickpeas and okra.
Health
The heatwaves this year forced several hospitals to declare critical incidents – meaning they cannot provide normal safe services due to pressures on patient flow, bed capacity, or staffing – due to vast demand on services.
London Ambulance Service recorded the highest number of life-threatening emergencies in its history in June, with paramedics saying the rise had been “driven by extreme heat”.
It said June 24 was its fifth busiest day ever, with 7,900 calls and ambulance crews responding to nearly 3,600 patients in a single day.
More than 2,700 people are also estimated to have died as a result of record-breaking temperatures during May and June, according to a study by Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Researchers believe just over 40 per cent of those died as a direct result of climate change.
“Heatwaves can be fatal because of the strain placed on the heart and other organs,” Jess Beagley, policy lead at the Global Climate and Health Alliance, told The Independent: “High temperatures present a particular risk for people with existing health conditions including cardiovascular diseases, as well as on babies as they are less able to regulate their body temperature, and outdoor workers as they are most exposed.”
Wildlife
The impact of high temperatures and dry spells is also impacting wildlife.
Data from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s long-running national monitoring scheme found a drop in bumblebee populations after the record-smashing temperatures of 2022, which saw parts of England reach a blistering 40.3C. That year, red-tailed, buff-tailed and common carder bumblebee numbers were down 20 per cent, 25 per cent and 35 per cent respectively when at their peak.
The trust has warned that once air temperatures reach 28C and above, British bumblebees can have difficulty flying without overheating, meaning they struggle to fly, forage for nectar, and pollinate plants. Bumblebee colonies grow more slowly as a result, and queen numbers dwindle.
Rising temperatures can also attract new types of wildlife, according to scientists, who warned a warmer climate will see certain invasive species thrive.
Increases have already been noted in numbers of diamondback moths arriving in the UK in warmer months, which are capable of causing widespread damage to brassica crops; invasive mosquito species, which can transmit diseases like West Nile fever, dengue, chikungunya and Zika; and sand flies that spread leishmaniasis.
“Warmer temperatures in the future will increase the suitability of the UK’s climate for these invasive species, and increase the risk that they may spread disease,” according to the UK’s Health Protection Research Unit.
