Dr Stephen Burt, University of Reading said: “Today (Monday’s) expected 31°C heat caps off what’s shaping up to be Reading’s hottest June ever recorded. While we won’t break the all-time daily record of 34.0°C set in 1976’s legendary heatwave, this month tells a more striking story about our changing climate.
“Despite quite a few changeable and cool days this month, June is likely to become our hottest on record. The provisional mean 24-hour temperature stands at 18.3 °C, surpassing the previous hottest Junes (1976 and 2023) whose mean temperature was 18.1 °C at the university’s atmospheric observatory.
“We’ve already seen six days hit 29°C or above this June—a frequency that highlights how exceptional heat is becoming routine. Between 1957 and 1976, not a single June day reached 30°C in Reading. Yet in just the past decade before this month, we’ve seen 30°C breached ten times in June alone.
“The nights are proving equally warm. Saturday was the hottest June night in Reading since 1976, with temperatures not dropping below 18°C—making sleep uncomfortable for many and pushing energy demands higher.
“With records dating back over a century, we can see that this isn’t just weather—it’s a clear signal of how much the climate is heating up.”
