The Guardian1 Jul 2026Macro
Automatically composed with AI from the cited sources
Provisional Met Office data showed England’s overnight temperatures averaged 2.6°C above normal in June 2026, with frequent tropical nights where the thermometer stayed above 20°C. The month closed with the first three-day red extreme heat alert since the warning system began in 2021, and five of the first six months of 2026 recorded mean temperatures at least 1°C above average. A rapid modelling study attributed 862 excess deaths in the UK to the late‑June heatwave across Europe, with a total death toll exceeding 20,000.