Every year I update my table of thirty-plus temperatures, as recorded at Hampstead.
Here's how we left things last year.
Dates on which the temperature at Hampstead reached 30°C
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
2010
27
9/10
2011
27
2012
25
18
2013
13 15/16/17 22
1
2014
18
2015
1
22
2016
18/19/20
24
13
2017
17/18/19/20/21
6
2018
5/6/7/8 15 23 25/26/27
2/3 6/7
2019
29
23/24/25
25/26/27
2020
24/25/26
31
7/8/9/10/11/12
2021
18/19/20
2022
17
11/12 17/18/19
11/12/13/14
2023
11 25
6/7 9/10
2024
19 30
12
2025
19 21 28/29/30
1 10/11/12 18
11/12
» in red: reached 33°C
» in red & bold: reached 35°C
» in red & bold & underlined: reached 37°C
And here's what 2026 looks like so far...
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
2026
23/24/25/26 28 30
19 23/24/25/26/27
6/7/8/9/10 29
tbc
tbc
That is a fairly astonishing start to the summer, and there's still August and September to go.
• Hampstead's never had temperatures above 30°C in May before. This year it had six days.
• So far this year eighteen days had a temperature above 30°C. The previous maximum was thirteen.
• So far eight days had a temperature above 33°C. The previous maximum was five.
• So far three days had a temperature above 35°C. The previous maximum was two.
What's more the temperature at Hampsteadnearly reached 30°C on several occasions, but I can't count that.
It did reach 30°C at Heathrow, which isn't at such an elevated location, but I can't count that either.
Amazingly Heathrow has hit 30°C on 25 days so far this year.
For perspective, in whole of the 1980s there were only 21 such days.
Now that's climate change.
What I have done is update my table to show all the dates with a temperature of 29°C or above.
Any recorded maximum of 'twenty-nine point something' is shown as a dot.
I've only included May, June and July.
Dates on which the temperature at Hampstead reached 29°C
May
Jun
Jul
2010
.
27.
9/10
2011
.27
.
2012
25
2013
13 15/16/17 22
2014
18
2015
.
1
2016
18/19/20
2017
17/18/19/20/21
6.
2018
.
. 5/6/7/8 15 23.25/26/27
2019
29
23/24/25
2020
24/25/26
.31
2021
18/19/20.
2022
.17
11/12 17/18/19
2023
.11 25
.
2024
.
19 30
2025
19.21 28/29/30
1 10/11/12 18
2026
23/24/25/26 28 30
19 . 23/24/25/26/27
.6/7/8/9/10.. . .. .29
» small dot: reached 29°C
» in red: reached 33°C
» in red & bold: reached 35°C
» in red & bold & underlined: reached 37°C
There were only 15 twenty-nine-point something days from 2010-2025.
This month has had seven.
Previously the year with the most days above 29°C was 2018, with 12 days.
So far 2026 has had 26. That's just dotty.
Hampstead's also recorded zero rainfall so far this month, with no rain on the way.
July is baked in to be the first month ever to record zero rainfall.
But the drought is another story...
