Britain is bracing for a record-breaking heatwave this week, with temperatures set to surpass the historic June 1976 peak by several degrees Celsius. The Met Office has issued a rare "red warning", anticipating highs of 39C across parts of the South and South East on Wednesday and Thursday. This would shatter the 1976 June record of 35.6C by more than 3C. This extreme weather coincides with the 50th anniversary of the 1976 heatwave, an event remembered for people putting foil over windows, forced use of street standpipes due to water shortages, failed harvests, and rising food prices. Experts, who gathered to mark the anniversary, warn that such intense heat events will become increasingly common. They highlight that the 1976 heatwave occurred in a significantly cooler global climate. Climate change, primarily driven by the burning of fossil fuels that release warming gases, is making extreme heat both more frequent and more severe. Looking ahead, a "plausible" Met Office forecast for June 2056 paints a grim picture, predicting peak temperatures of 45C in England, 38C in Scotland, 41C in Wales, and 30C in Belfast.
Published: June 23, 2026 8:38 am
Source: The Independent — Read original