WIREDGOV

Spring 2026 was warm, dry and sunny for the UK.

An exceptionally early and record-breaking spell of heat at the end of May helped to secure the warmest spring on record for England and Wales, and the third warmest for the UK, for mean temperature. 

The late-May heatwave saw six consecutive days above 30°C in some areas, with both the spring and May maximum temperature station records exceeded by more than 2°C, highlighting an exceptional end to the season. 

Provisional Met Office statistics show the season saw: 

• UK’s third warmest on record for mean temperature  
• England’s warmest on record for mean temperature 
• Wales’s warmest on record for mean temperature 
• Northern Ireland’s joint sixth warmest on record for mean temperature 
• Scotland’s eighth warmest on record for mean temperature 

All three months of meteorological spring – March, April and May – ranked within the UK’s top ten warmest since the series began in 1884. The season unfolded month by month, beginning with a joint tenth warmest March on record for the UK, followed by the seventh warmest April and then a May that finished up as the joint third warmest on record.  

England’s mean temperature of 10.41°C surpassed last year’s record of 10.23°C, meaning the three warmest springs on record for England now stand as 2026, 2025 and 2024. Nine of the ten warmest springs in England since 1884 have now occurred since 2007. 

Click here for the full press release