The UK had the hottest June since records began in 1884, with climate change a factor

LONDON — The U.K. sweltered through its hottest June since records began in 1884, the country’s weather agency said Monday, adding that human-induced climate change means such unusual heat will become more frequent in the next few decades.

The average temperature for June in the U.K. hit 15.8 degrees Celsius (60.4 Fahrenheit) — 0.9C hotter than the joint previous record of 14.9 C in 1940 and 1976, according to the Met Office's provisional figures.

Meteorologists say that thanks to climate change, the chance of beating the previous joint record has at least doubled since the 1940s.

“Alongside natural variability, the background warming of the Earth’s atmosphere due to human-induced climate change has driven up the possibility of reaching record high temperatures,” said Paul Davies at the Met Office. “By the 2050s, the chance of surpassing the previous record of 14.9 C could be as high as around 50%, or every other year.”

Large areas of the country, from the Orkney Islands in northern Scotland to Cornwall in southwest England, set regional high temperature records last month, with many experiencing mean temperatures that were 2.5 C more than average.

The highest temperature recorded last month was 32.2 C — much higher than typical maximum temperatures, which hover around the low 20s for this time of year, the weather agency said.

Fisheries experts say that the hot weather has contributed to the deaths of thousands of fish in canals and rivers. Thunderstorms, pollution and other factors also contributed to the deaths, the Environment Agency said.

“Environment Agency fisheries teams have been responding round the clock to numerous reports of dead or distressed fish across the country,” said the agency's fisheries manager, Graeme Storey.

Met Office scientists have said that 2022 was the hottest year on record for the U.K., with an annual mean temperature of 10.03 C, or 0.89 C higher than the 1991-2020 average. Other European countries including France and Spain saw similar record highs last year.

Since records began over a century ago, all of the 10 annual highest temperature records in the U.K. have occurred from 2003, the scientists added, clearly demonstrating how global warming has affected British climate.