UK temperatures are set to soar to 25C this week in a final blast of late summer heat

From the Newshound archive · first published 21 September 2026.

England is bracing for its warmest September spell in decades, with south-east England forecast to peak at 25C on Tuesday — beating Athens's expected 23C. The surge is driven by high pressure pulling warm air northward from the continent and the subtropical Atlantic, delivering sunny, mostly dry conditions across much of England and Wales. The heat follows a record-shattering summer in which five heatwaves struck the UK and August was recorded as the hottest month ever measured.

2026 has already broken the record for days above 25C, exceeding the previous mark of 89 days set in 1959.

Scotland, Northern Ireland and western England face rain mid-week, with temperatures dropping to 14-18C as the warmer air retreats northward.

The Met Office warns October will bring increasingly changeable weather, with periods of rain and stronger winds bringing the unseasonable warmth to a close.