38.1C reported in Kew Gardens, provisionally the hottest day of the year
There it is: the Met Office has just confirmed that it recorded a provisional reading of 38.1C at Kew Gardens, making it the hottest day of the year so far.
It’s the second time we reached 38C this year, it said, with the only other year where this has happened twice in 2022.
It is also the fifth hottest day on record ever, Met Office says.
The previous 2026 record of 38C was recorded on 28 June.
Key events
Massive fire reported in Chalkidiki as gale-force winds fuel blaze
Helena Smith
in Athens
As feared (16:05), gale force winds are fuelling a massive fire in Chalkidiki in northern Greece where flames have ripped through homes and forced the evacuation of hundreds of holiday makers from beaches.
Officials said 15 boats had removed tourists and locals from the sandy shores of Siviri on the Kassandra peninsular in Chalkidiki as a precautionary measure.
Greek media reported the fire as being out of control with fire fighters, forest commandos and an array of water- dumping aircraft trying to tame the flames.
Blazes, whipped by winds, were also raging in the Peloponnese and other parts of Greece with the civil protection minister Evangelos Tournas describing the weather conditions as “extreme.”
Vast swathes of Greece have been branded high fire risk and ‘red code’ on Friday when the gusts, already exceeding 100 km an hour, are expected to peak.
Afternoon summary
Jakub Krupa
Here is a summary of where we are at 4pm UK time (5pm CEST):
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Charlwood and Pershore have provisionally reached 37.8C as large parts of England face another day of extreme temperatures during the fifth heatwave of the summer (16:34).
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37.0C was also reported in Kew Gardens, west London.
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Earlier today, a rare amber warning for extreme heat has been expanded to cover more of England, including parts in the north west of the country (13:01).
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A former chief scientific adviser to the UK government has warned that the “shattering” heat was only a sign of things to come, with calls to accelerate climate adaptation policies (11:54).
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High temperatures were also reported in France and Spain, amid concerns about the heat’s potential impact on wildfires recently reported in both countries (13:35, 15:52).
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Greece was also on high alert for wildfires amid gale-force winds (16:11).
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Overall, more than 135 million Europeans were expected to experience temperatures of 35C and above today (11:27).
London swelters during fifth heatwave of the summer – in pictures
UK weather stations reporting temperatures of 37C and above for third time this year
Back in the UK, the Met Office has just confirmed that several weather stations reported temperatures of 37C or above today, including in Kew Gardens in west London.
“Before 2026, the UK had recorded 37C or higher on only six occasions. This year alone, we’ve already reached that mark three times,” it added.
Greece battles gale force winds reigniting fears about wildfires
Helena Smith
in Athens
Over in Greece, gale force winds are sweeping the country, putting fire fighting forces on high alert. Gusts of more than 100km an hour have been registered in Athens, across the Aegean, on the southern island of Crete and parts of mainland Greece, according to the national observatory.
Much of the Attica region surrounding the capital was put on high alert as fears of wildfires mounted on the back of the ‘hot, dry, windy’ weather.
As a precaution some of the famous hills of Athens, much loved by tourists, were closed to the public.
The Etesian winds – otherwise known as the meltemia – are a summer trait widely regarded as both a blessing and a curse. While the northerly gusts bring respite, with a noticeable drop in the searing heat, they also play a key role in fuelling forest fires.
Convening in emergency session today, Greece’s civil protection body warned that on Friday when the gale force winds are expected to peak, the threat of wild fires across at least five regions of the country would be at their highest.
As the UK and other parts of western Europe bear the brunt of a fifth heatwave this summer – with the mercury hitting 27C in Edinburgh, the Athens if the north – the contrast with the east continues. Showers are forecast in some parts of Greece in the coming days.
Over in France, professional firefighters’ unions held talks with interior minister Laurent Nuñez today to discuss their needs following recent wildfires across the country.
The unions are growing concerned about insufficient staffing levels and a lack of resources available to them.
Union representatives said they were “very disappointed” with the discussions, and called for “an intensive mobilisation” and a protest in Paris at the end of September, Le Figaro and BFM TV reported.
A union spokesperson said the service “cannot indefinitely compensate for the shortcomings of the system that has long reached its saturation point,” as he called for more resources to be directed to “protect French citizens.”
But interior minister Laurent Nuñez said on social media “the time has now come for action,” as he pledged to “continue the dialogue in a constructive and respectful spirit.”
Nurses fainting in ‘inhumane’ conditions due to extreme heat, union warns
Peter Walker, Tobi Thomas and Aletha Adu
Nurses are collapsing during shifts amid “inhumane and impossible” conditions caused by extreme heat, their union has warned, as Andy Burnham promised to grapple with “the bigger questions” of climate adaptation.
Amid growing pressure from Labour backbenches to fully acknowledge the urgency of adaptation measures as the climate crisis bites, Burnham said he was for now focusing on the immediate crises caused by an ongoing summer of extreme heat.
Speaking after a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee, Burnham refused to say if the summer had made the case against renewed drilling in the North Sea, which his government is considering.
“It is really important that we deal today with the situation that we are in right now and we focus on making sure that we have the serious incidents under control across the country, and those incidents are under control,” he said.
“The bigger questions obviously will come at the right moment in time,” he added.
An amber warning for heat across large parts of England will come into force again on Thursday morning, with temperatures forecast to reach 36C or potentially higher.
Train passengers on some networks are being warned by rail operators to only travel if the journey is vital, saying services are likely to be disrupted because of the weather.
Ninth day of temperatures above 35C reported in England
The Met Office said that by midday temperatures had reached 36.4C at Charlwood in Surrey, while at Wisley temperatures had hit 35.1C, and a number of other spots were above 34C, including Westonbirt in Gloucestershire and Heathrow, west London, PA reported.
It makes it provisionally the ninth day in 2026 where temperatures are above 35C, the Met Office said, extending this year’s record number of days at or above 35C.
Fifth heatwave of summer hits England – in pictures
Meanwhile, Le Figaro is reporting that with the current heatwave extending into its 17th day, it is now the third longest period of extreme temperatures ever recorded in France.
It’s 38C in Bordeaux and Nantes, 36C in Paris, and 34C in Montpellier at the moment.
The temperatures are only expected to start falling over the weekend, it said.
Amber heat warning expanded into north west England
And a rare amber warning for “extreme heat” has been expanded to cover more of England, as the UK could see the hottest day of the year so far, PA said.
The warning, already covering large part of the country, has been expanded into North West England to cover parts of Cheshire and Greater Manchester, into Gloucestershire and Wiltshire in the south-west and Shropshire and Herefordshire in the west.
Even the athletes taking part in the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham are feeling the heat today…
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/live/2026/aug/13/europe-heatwave-france-spain-italy-uk-degrees-temperature-record-summer-drought-latest-news-updates
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