There are likely to be long-standing temperature records broken over the coming days, adding to a long list of records already set this year.
Should temperatures reach 35C this week as forecast, it will become the fourth calendar month this year to record 35C or more, which is unprecedented.
If temperatures reach 36C or higher, 2026 will become the first year on record to register four separate days at or above that threshold.
This will surpass the previous record of three days, which is currently shared by 1990, 2003, 2020 and 2026.
It is not out of the question that a few locations, including London, could touch 38C.
Should this happen, it would be the second time the UK hit 38C this summer – the highest reading so far this year – tied with Lingwood in Norfolk on 26 June.
It would also be tied for the hottest August day since 2003, when 38.5C was recorded.
As long as August temperatures remain average or above for the month as a whole, this summer will replace 2025 as the warmest on record.
