High Heaton Weather and Air Quality – August 2026

Weather

August was another very warm month, with the second week being exceptionally hot. The month’s maximum temperature was 33.2°C at 2-15pm on Thursday 13th. This is the hottest August day I have ever recorded and exceeded the previous record, set in 2022, by an astonishing 3.7°C. We met the criteria for a heatwave (three consecutive days above 25°C) over the period August 12th-14th.  The average temperature for the month was 16.4°C compared to the 30-year average of 15.7°C, and it was the seventh month in succession with a well-above-average temperature. On the night of 12th/13th the minimum temperature was 18.3°, the warmest night of the year so far. It was also the night of the partial solar eclipse. The month’s minimum temperature was 8.2°C at 3.30am on Sunday 23rd.

The rainfall total was 39mm, which is 60% of the average for August. The wettest day was Tuesday 4th when 12mm of rain fell, all of it overnight or during the early morning. There was a brief thunderstorm in the late afternoon of Sunday 30th.

Air Quality

The average PM2.5 particle concentration was 5.1 µg/m3, so we were well within the WHO target of 10 µg. This target was exceeded on two days, but only by a small amount. On those two days the Air Quality Index was at level 2, and it was at level 1 on the other 29 days. Levels 1, 2. & 3 are classed as ‘good’. 

Summer 2026 in High Heaton  

In meteorological terms summer is defined as the months of June, July, and August. This is a summary of this summer’s weather, and a look at how it compares to previous years.

It has been an extraordinary summer, particularly for the persistence of the heat and the lack of rainfall. Nationally, in terms of average temperatures, this was the hottest summer since records began in 1884, and in High Heaton it was also the hottest, at least since my records began in 1995. All three months were significantly warmer than usual. The average temperature was 16.5°C, which exceeds the previous record of 16.3°C in 2022. However, it is the maximum temperatures which are most evident, and this summer was also exceptional in this respect. We experienced three heatwaves (defined as three or more consecutive days when the temperature exceeds 25°C), one in each month. Heatwaves are not common, occurring about once every three years, and this is the first year we have experienced three, one of which lasted five days. The summer’s maximum temperature was 33.2°C (91.8°F), which occurred on August 13th. This is the second highest temperature I have ever recorded, and a record for August.  Before 2022, the thermometer never reached 30°C but since that date it has done so five times, including twice this year.

The other outstanding feature of the summer was the lack of rain. Although we did not experience the serious drought that affected much of the country, all three months were significantly drier than average. Total rainfall for the summer was 110mm which is 59% of the average, making it the driest summer since 1995 when only 67mm was recorded.

John Telfer