This month, Britain could experience a sweltering 168-hour heatwave that could see persistent, protracted temperatures as high as 34 degrees Celsius. Tuesday this week was the warmest day of the year in the UK, with highs of 34.7C (94.4F) recorded at St. James’s Park in downtown London.
The previous warmest day in the UK in 2025 was June 21, when Charlwood, Surrey, hit 33.2C (91.7F).
Monday’s high temperature of 33.1 (91.5F) at Heathrow, the hottest start to Wimbledon ever, was surpassed by Tuesday’s heat. However, new mid-July WXCharts con maps reveal a startling new year front that is expected to persist for at least seven days, raising temperatures in the southeast of England to 34C (93.2F).
Beginning on Friday, July 11th, temperatures will reach 30 degrees Celsius throughout the Midlands, Yorkshire, and even Hull in the north. They will peak at 31 degrees Celsius in Peterborough, East Anglia, and also in Kent.
Sunday, the 13th, will be slightly milder with highs of 30 degrees Celsius in Kent and a delightful 28-29 degrees Celsius across southern England. Saturday, the 12th, will also see 31 degrees Celsius in London and Kent, with 30 degrees Celsius warming most of the southeast and East Anglia.
As Europe begins to turn red, Monday, the 14th, sees temperatures rising once more over the south coast of England, reaching 30 -31°C and 26°C as far north as Middlesbrough. Tuesday, the 15th, is even hotter, reaching 31-32C°C throughout the Midlands and southern England, while north-east France reaches 34°C.
The temperature is expected to reach 31 degrees Celsius on the North Yorkshire Moors and 30 degrees Celsius in Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, and York on Wednesday, July 16. Meanwhile, Swindon will see 34 degrees Celsius.
The temperature then peaks on Thursday, the 17th, with the entire southeast burning bright red on heat maps as large areas of London and the surrounding area experience temperatures of 34 degrees Celsius.
According to the Met Office’s long-range prognosis for July 16-30, “hot spells” may be returning to bake Britain.
It reads: “Changeable conditions with a predominantly northwest to southeast split in temperature and rainfall, and the potential for further occasional episodes of hot weather and thundery outbreaks, are considered likely to gradually give way to something more settled and dry overall through the second half of July.”
“Temperatures are likely to be above average, with the greatest chance of very warm or hot spells in the south or southeast.”
Ben McCarthy, the National Trust’s head of ecology for environmental protection and restoration, stated: ” With record breaking temperatures across the country this week following the driest spring on record, our ranger and countryside teams are on high alert for fires which can cause decades of damage to habitats, decimate ecosystems and result in significant losses to our wildlife.”
