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Summer resources for journalists

A useful selection of resources for journalists covering summer weather in the UK.

Summer is the warmest season in the UK and on average, July is the warmest month and June is the sunniest while the rainfall totals throughout the UK in summer can be rather variable. The highest temperatures in summer tend to be seen around London and the southeast, with the coolest temperatures experienced throughout Scotland and Northern England.

The UK in summer can experience blocking anticyclones which can bring long spells of warm weather and create heatwave conditions.

The summer heatwave of 2022 was unprecedented and marked a milestone in UK climate history with 40°C being recorded for the first time in the UK and new national records set in Wales, Scotland and England.

Met Office infographic showing 'New highest daily maximum temperatures'. These are shown as being recorded as: UK & England 40.3°C in Coningsby (Lincolnshire); Wales 37.1°C in Hawarden (Flintshire); Scotland 34.8°C in Charterhall (Scottish Borders).

What is a heatwave?

A heatwave is an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year, which may be accompanied by high humidity. Find out more about how we define a heatwave.

Extreme heat warnings

Our extreme heat warnings are impact-based, designed to highlight the potential impacts of extreme heat to lives, infrastructure and property. 

You can subscribe to get email alerts of Weather Warnings and press releases. Find instructions in our email alert service guide.

Met Office infographic showing 'Heat warnings - What they're for'. Extreme Heat Warning - issued by the Met Office to highlight potential impacts to lives, infrastructure and property. Heat Health Alert - Issued with the UK Health Security Agency, aimed at those in the health sector dealing with the health impacts of heat. Heatwave - A threshold-based meteorological definition. Maximum temperatures must reach a specific threshold for three consecutive days to be an official heatwave.

Adverse Weather-Health Alerting system

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Adverse Weather Alerting service for England is run in partnership with the Met Office. Heat-Health Alerts are part of the Weather-Health Alerting system, and are mainly aimed at health professionals and those with long-term health conditions such as heart conditions.

Forecast information

You can subscribe to email alerts of press releases from the Met Office. You can also access written forecasts for the UK and for regions, which can be used as a source in media stories. 

For the latest information on developing weather events, as well as the latest observations of notable weather, the Met Office Twitter account will post the information first. 

Summer seasonal advice

Working with our partners we have produced information and advice to help people prepare for the summer weather:

Heat

Thunderstorms

UV

Pollen

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