It has been a summer like no other!

Firstly, the record heat. The mean temperature for the summer months June, July and August was an amazing 20.3°C – that’s more than a degree hotter than the previous record of 19.1°C set in 2022 and equalled in 2025. The hottest day was 37.6°C on 26th June, the second hottest day in our 42 years of records after 38.8°C in 2022. The lowest temperature in that three months was 8.3°C, also a record warmest summer minimum, beating the previous record of 8.1°C set in 1992 and equalled in 1997.

Some other interesting facts about our summer temperatures emerge. Curiously we had no ‘tropical nights’, where the temperature never falls below 20°C. But no less than 19 days had highs with a temperature of 30°C or above, and no fewer than six days exceeded 35°C, also both records. It wasn’t until 2020, after 37 years of weather recording, that we had our first ever day over 35°C!

And now for the record drought. We had just 57.0mm over these three months, another record, less than the previous record low of 60.0mm recorded in 1983. It rained on just 19 days, the third fewest after 1983 and 2022 (both 16 days) – the average in our records is 38 days.

The year to date total rainfall now stands at 280.0mm – that’s the second driest so far (despite our wettest ever January) after 2022, which then suffered the wettest October on record! If we get our average monthly rainfall for the rest of the year, we should still comfortably beat the lowest ever annual total of 456.7mm in 1983.