Wednesday 12th August
The fifth heatwave of 2026 did officially arrive on Tuesday, as we are certain to have three consecutive days with maxima above or equal to 27C, that saw the thermometer reach 28.3C at 16.06, being 6.7C above average. The modest breeze from the southeast did help make it a little more comfortable. The past night was mild, in fact the warmest since the 5th, with a minimum of 14.4C logged at 06.09 being 2.6C above average. Sunrise in Marlborough was at 05.47.
Today will see the heat build significantly as the light breeze from the southeast wafts hot air from the Continent. By 08.00 the thermometer had reached 18.4C with the likelihood the maximum will exceed 30C by the end of the day. The centre of the large area of high pressure is now over Germany and Scandinavia that will carry the hot, dry air around its western periphery towards the UK. This will be repeated on Thursday that after a very warm night tonight will see the thermometer climb even higher.
By Friday there will be a significant change as the current high pressure eases further to the east and the Azores high begins to build to the southwest that will push across to the UK. This will be the dominant feature for a day or two as the breeze will then veer into the northwest, which will bring a cooler air stream off the Atlantic with maxima falling considerably to just a few degrees above the August average.
I remember the summer of 1976 very well, unfortunately my weather station did not start up until 1984 so I do not have the statistics for that significant summer.
Why 1976 remains significant
The summer of 1976 remains one of the most well-remembered in UK weather history.
Heatwave spells were recorded in May, June, July and August, including a 23-day spell from 21 June to 13 July and a further 22-day spell from 6 to 27 August.
Its place in public memory is partly due to the persistence of the heat and dry weather. The records show that 1976 was not just a single hot spell, but a summer with repeated heatwave conditions over several months. That helps explain why it remains a benchmark against which many later summers are compared.
The 2022 milestone
While 1976 is remembered for duration, 2022 is remembered for intensity. On 19 July 2022, the UK recorded 40.3°C at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, the first time the UK had recorded a maximum temperature above 40°C. The Met Office described the event as a milestone in UK climate history, with the previous UK record exceeded by 1.6°C.