Sue CharlesBBC Wales weather presenter
PA Media
Wales’ previous warmest summer was in 1995, when there was a mean temperature of 16.04C
Wales has had its hottest summer on record, according to provisional statistics from the Met Office.
It beats the previous record which has stood for 30 years.
The mean temperature across the country has been confirmed as 16.06C.
This is calculated as an average of the overnight low and daytime high temperatures for June, July and August.
Wales’ previous warmest summer was in 1995, when there was a mean temperature of 16.04C.
Wales’ hottest day of the year was 12 July, with a temperature of 33.1C recorded at Cardiff’s Bute Park, while last week saw the country’s hottest August Bank Holiday Monday on record when Hawarden, Flintshire, reached 29.6C.
These temperatures do not quite match the record-breaking 37.1C set at Hawarden on 18 July 2022.
But this summer is notable for how long-lasting and widespread the heat has been – with temperatures briefly meeting heatwave criteria on four separate occasions for parts of Wales.
Wales’ heatwave threshold is three consecutive days of temperatures above 25C (or 26C in the far south-east of Wales).
The heat started early with a June heatwave for the summer solstice.
A further two were recorded in July, when Wales had its hottest weather of the year, while some parts of the country experienced a fourth heatwave in August.
This is in line with evidence that summers are getting hotter and drier because of climate change.
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Summer 2025 was also Wales’ driest and sunniest since 2022
Summer 2025 was also Wales’ driest and sunniest since 2022. The driest parts of east Wales saw around half their average rainfall, and even the wettest areas – mainly around Eryri National Park and in the hills of mid and west Wales – experienced average rainfall.
Met Office figures show that Wales had 79% of its average summer rainfall. The famous summer of 1976 remains Wales’ driest on record, when only 85mm of rain was recorded.
Reservoir levels are also lower than normal, partly because the dry, hot summer followed Wales’ driest spring in more than 50 years.
The story has not been entirely straightforward though. It was a wet and windy start to August with Storm Floris bringing disruption.
Is climate change to blame?
There are a number of reasons why this summer has been so warm.
High pressure has regularly been overhead, meaning long spells of dry, calm and sunny weather.
The dry ground has also helped temperatures to climb.
Less of the sun’s energy has been used in evaporating moisture leaving more to heat the ground and the air.
A marine heatwave has also played a part with sea temperatures in parts of the UK up to 3C above normal at times, reducing the usual cooling effect around the coast.
Scientists are clear that climate change is making our summers hotter and drier.
Nine of the last 10 summers (2016-2025) have brought temperatures above the long-term norm.
The number of very hot days with temperatures above 30C (86F) has more than trebled in the most recent decade compared with the 1961-1990 average.
This year’s heat has knocked the summer of 1976 down to fifth place, meaning Wales’ four hottest summers have occurred since the year 2000.