Western Europe heat dome conditions have already driven two record-breaking summer heatwaves across the UK and Europe in Early July. A third heatwave is on the way after a brief period of respite, and the latest figures show 37.7C in Lingwood, Norfolk.
That temperature came after June records fell across the continent, including several stations that passed the UK's previous June high of 35.6C, first set in 1957 and tied in 1976. In Cardiff, the temperature did not drop below 23.5C on the night of Wednesday 24 June into Thursday, the warmest June night ever recorded around the UK.
Stephen Belcher on hotter events
Prof Stephen Belcher, chief scientist at the UK Met Office, said, "Human-induced climate change has made events like this more likely and more intense". He also said, "To see temperatures like this in the UK in June is sobering".
His warning follows a pattern already visible this summer: May brought similar extreme heat before June, then June produced a second run of records, and Early July added another round. Outdoor workers face the sharpest daily exposure when the heat hangs over England and Wales, especially where nights stay warm enough to slow recovery.
Ed Hawkins and tropical nights
Ed Hawkins of the University of Reading said, "We normally expect the records broken by small amounts – tenths, maybe up to a degree or so". He added, "So to have it shattered by such a large amount is noticeable and extraordinary, and of course this comes after a similar event in May."
Hawkins also said, "We would definitely expect to see more and more tropical nights, as global temperatures keep rising". Tropical nights are nights when temperatures do not fall below 20C, and they were historically very rare in the UK. Most of England and Wales experienced at least one tropical night in June.
UK and Europe in July
The UN's weather agency called the June heatwave an extraordinary event across the continent, tying the current run of heat to a warmer world driven primarily by the burning of fossil fuels releasing heat-trapping greenhouse gases. The practical question now is not whether the pattern has arrived, but how long the next heatwave will keep temperatures elevated across the UK and Europe once it moves in.
For readers in south England, south Wales and beyond, the immediate issue is the same: June already broke long-standing records, and Early July has kept pressure on people who work outdoors and on anyone trying to sleep through tropical nights. The heat has already changed the baseline this summer; the next surge is set to test it again.
