While the UK isn’t exactly famous for its tropical climate, the last few years have seen some heatwaves that have absolutely shattered the old records.
We’ve moved past the days when a bit of sun was just an excuse for a barbecue; now, we’re seeing temperatures in our cities that used to be reserved for the Mediterranean. It’s a strange feeling when the local high street starts feeling more like Madrid, and our infrastructure, mostly built to keep the heat in, suddenly feels like a giant oven.
From the concrete heat traps of London to the usually cooler spots in the north, these record-breaking days have changed how we think about a British summer. These are the hottest temperatures ever clocked in UK cities, marking those rare and slightly surreal moments when the mercury pushed well past what any of us were prepared for.
Coningsby, Lincolnshire hit 40.3 °C in July 2022.
This small village in eastern England made history on July 19, 2022, when it recorded the highest temperature ever registered in the UK. The reading of 40.3 °C smashed the previous record by 1.6 degrees and marked the first time anywhere in Britain had exceeded 40 °C since records began. For Coningsby, this temperature was more than 18 degrees above its July average, showing just how extraordinary the heatwave was.
London Heathrow Airport reached 40.2 °C on the same day.
Just minutes after Coningsby set the record, Heathrow Airport recorded 40.2 °C at 12.50 p.m. on July 19, 2022. This made it the hottest temperature ever recorded in the capital, beating the previous London record of 38.1 °C set in August 2003. The temperature at Heathrow had already hit 34.1 °C by 9 a.m. that morning, following an overnight low of only 21.7 °C, which meant the heat built rapidly throughout the day.
Cambridge held the UK record for three years at 38.7 °C.
Cambridge Botanic Garden recorded 38.7 °C on July 25, 2019, which stood as the UK’s all-time highest temperature until the 2022 heatwave smashed it. The university’s weather station has been recording temperatures for over 100 years, making this a particularly significant moment in British climate history. The reading exceeded the previous record of 38.5 °C set in Faversham, Kent, in August 2003.
St James’s Park in London topped 40 °C during the 2022 heatwave.
Central London’s St James’s Park weather station also exceeded 40 °C on July 19, 2022, making it one of seven locations across the UK to break through this threshold for the first time. The previous hottest temperature recorded at this central London location was considerably lower, showing how extreme the 2022 heatwave was compared to anything experienced before.
Pitsford in Northamptonshire reached 40.2 °C.
This Northamptonshire location matched Heathrow’s temperature on July 19, 2022, becoming one of the hottest spots in the UK that day. Pitsford had also recorded 38.2 °C on July 18, just one day before breaking 40 °C, showing how the heat intensified over those two days. The village is near Northampton and typically sees much cooler summer temperatures.
Santon Downham in Suffolk hit 38.1 °C in 2022.
This Suffolk village recorded 38.1 °C on both July 18 and July 19, 2022, making it one of the consistently hottest locations during the heatwave. On July 17, temperatures in Santon Downham had reached 32.7 °C, which was already extremely hot, but they climbed even higher over the following days. The village had previously recorded the same temperature during the June heatwave earlier that summer.
Faversham in Kent reached 38.5 °C back in 2003.
Before the 2019 and 2022 heatwaves, Faversham held the UK temperature record for 16 years with a reading of 38.5 °C on August 10, 2003. That record had broken the previous mark of 37.1 °C set in Cheltenham in 1990, which itself had lasted 13 years. More than a dozen weather stations across England beat Faversham’s record during the August 2003 heatwave, showing how widespread that heat was.
Leeming in North Yorkshire recorded 38.8 °C in 2022.
The northerly extent of the July 2022 heatwave was remarkable, with Leeming in North Yorkshire reaching 38.8 °C on July 19. This showed that the extreme heat wasn’t just confined to southern England but had spread much further north than previous heatwaves. Temperatures this high in North Yorkshire were virtually unheard of before 2022.
Hawarden Airport in Wales set the Welsh record at 37.1 °C.
Wales experienced its hottest temperature on record when Hawarden Airport in Flintshire hit 37.1 °C on July 18, 2022. This beat the previous Welsh record of 35.2 °C, which had also been set at Hawarden Airport back in August 1990. The 2022 reading exceeded that old record by nearly 2 degrees, which is a massive margin for temperature records.
Charterhall in Scotland reached 34.8 °C in 2022.
Scotland set its own temperature record during the July 2022 heatwave when Charterhall in the Scottish Borders recorded 34.8 °C on July 19. This topped the previous Scottish record of 32.9 °C, set at Greycrook in August 2003 by almost 2 degrees. The old record had stood for 95 years before 2003, having first been set in Dumfries at 32.8 °C in July 1908.
Iver in Buckinghamshire hit 38.9 °C during the 2022 heatwave.
This Buckinghamshire village recorded 38.9 °C at 12.20 p.m. on July 19, 2022, setting a new county record for heat. Meanwhile, Stowe in Buckinghamshire matched Cambridge’s previous UK record with 38.7 °C at 1.10 p.m. the same day. A total of 46 locations across the UK met or exceeded Cambridge’s 2019 record during this extraordinary heatwave.
Kew Gardens in London reached 38.7 °C in 2019.
The famous botanical gardens in Richmond recorded 38.7 °C during the July 2019 heatwave, matching Cambridge’s reading that set the UK record that year. Kew Gardens has experienced temperatures above 35 °C on more than one occasion, making it one of the consistently hottest spots in London. The urban heat island effect contributes to these high temperatures in the capital.
Cheltenham held the UK record at 37.1 °C for 103 years.
Before Faversham broke it in 2003, Cheltenham in Gloucestershire held the UK temperature record with 37.1 °C recorded on August 3, 1990. This had broken a record of 36.7 °C set on August 9, 1911, which had stood for an incredible 79 years. Temperature records are now being broken much more frequently, with the 1990 record lasting only 13 years compared to the decades-long gaps in the past.
Multiple locations exceeded 40 °C for the first time in 2022.
Seven weather stations across England recorded temperatures of 40 °C or higher on July 19, 2022, marking the first time this threshold had been breached anywhere in the UK. Besides Coningsby and Heathrow, locations in Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and other parts of England all topped 40 °C. This widespread extreme heat was unprecedented in British climate history, and far more extensive than any previous heatwave.