UK on Track for Warmest Year on Record After Mild September
September was provisionally the fourth warmest on record for the UK, with every month this year exceeding average temperatures.
The United Kingdom is likely to experience one of its warmest years on record, following a September that ranked as the fourth warmest in available data. Figures from the Met Office indicate that for the eighth consecutive month, the average UK temperature has been more than 1 degree Celsius above the long-term norm.
With warmer-than-average weather anticipated for the remainder of the year, the overall trend suggests 2026 will be among the hottest years recorded. While some rainfall occurred in September, it was predominantly concentrated in Scotland, leaving eastern and south-east England with another drier-than-average month.
Despite these regional variations and a lack of official heatwaves, the mean average temperature for September was 14.6C, which is 1.6C above the long-term average. Both maximum and minimum temperatures remained consistently above normal. The highest temperature recorded during the month was 28.6C in Northolt, London, on September 6. Northern Ireland recorded its latest-ever day with a temperature above 25C, reaching 25.5C on September 21 in Helen's Bay, and also experienced its joint warmest September for minimum temperature.
This September's performance aligns with a broader pattern of increasingly frequent above-average temperatures in the UK, attributed to ongoing climate change, according to Met Office climate scientist Mike Kendon. Data from the Central England Temperature dataset, the world's longest-running temperature record dating back to the 17th century, shows that every month in 2026 has been warmer than average.
Current readings place the year's average temperature 2.6C above the norm. It would require a significantly cooler-than-average end to the year to prevent 2026 from surpassing 2025, currently the UK's warmest year on record. The Met Office has forecast that the rest of autumn and the early part of winter will be warmer than average, partly influenced by the super El Niño expected to peak in the coming months. Scientists anticipate that global temperatures may continue to rise into next year due to El Niño, potentially making 2027 even warmer.