Updated: 2026-08-10
The answer, based on the complete daily temperature series at the Valley station, is that days above 28°C are not rare at all—but they are also far from guaranteed. In the mildest years, the thermometer never once crossed that threshold; in the hottest, Valley saw 27 such days in a single calendar year. And on June 24, 2026, the station recorded its all-time highest temperature since observations began: 33.9°C, a figure that now stands as the benchmark for extreme heat in this corner of the UK.
The hottest moment in Valley's recorded history
On June 24, 2026, the maximum temperature at Valley reached 33.9°C. No other day in the station's entire record—which runs from July 1, 1941 to August 9, 2026—has come close. For context, the second-hottest day ever measured at Valley was July 19, 2006, when the mercury climbed to 33.6°C. The 2026 figure is the one to beat now, and it was set just weeks before this page was published.
For this analysis, an "extreme heat day" is defined as any day when the maximum temperature exceeds 28°C. This threshold is deliberately selective—it excludes ordinary summer warmth and only counts days that most people would describe as genuinely hot, the kind that send people to the coast or the shade. A secondary threshold of 26°C (days with strong heat) and a more exclusive one of 23°C (days classified here as warm-to-hot) help frame the full picture, along with each year's absolute maximum temperature.
The five hottest days ever recorded at Valley, all confirmed by the Met Office, are:
| Date | Maximum temperature (°C) |
|---|---|
| 2026-06-24 | 33.9 |
| 2006-07-19 | 33.6 |
| 2003-08-05 | 33.0 |
| 1948-07-29 | 32.8 |
| 2022-07-18 | 32.3 |
The table below shows the complete annual series for Valley. For each year, it lists the number of days above 28°C, the number of days above 26°C, the number of days above 23°C, and the year's highest maximum temperature. The record for the most extreme-heat days in a single year belongs to 1976, with 27 days above 28°C—a summer that remains legendary across the UK. The year 1995 also stands out, with 26 such days, and 1947 reached 26 days as well.
The table below shows the complete annual series for Valley. For each year, it lists the number of days above 28°C, the number of days above 26°C, the number of days above 23°C, and the year's highest maximum temperature.
| Year | Days above 28°C | Days above 26°C | Days above 23°C | Year's max (°C) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 25.6 |
| 1942 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24.1 |
| 1943 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 28.5 |
| 1944 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 29.2 |
| 1945 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 28.7 |
| 1946 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 26.4 |
| 1947 | 26 | 30 | 35 | 32.1 |
| 1948 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 32.8 |
| 1949 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 28.9 |
| 1950 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 25.9 |
| 1951 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24.4 |
| 1952 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 28.3 |
| 1953 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 26.2 |
| 1954 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23.1 |
| 1955 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 29.8 |
| 1956 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24.7 |
| 1957 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 25.8 |
| 1958 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22.5 |
| 1959 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 29.4 |
| 1960 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 27.8 |
| 1961 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 25.9 |
| 1962 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22.1 |
| 1963 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23.8 |
| 1964 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 26.1 |
| 1965 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24.3 |
| 1966 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22.8 |
| 1967 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 26.0 |
| 1968 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23.5 |
| 1969 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 28.2 |
| 1970 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 25.5 |
| 1971 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 25.6 |
| 1972 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24.0 |
| 1973 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 28.6 |
| 1974 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 26.2 |
| 1975 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 31.2 |
| 1976 | 27 | 35 | 40 | 32.5 |
| 1977 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 28.4 |
| 1978 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23.9 |
| 1979 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 26.1 |
| 1980 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22.4 |
| 1981 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 25.9 |
| 1982 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 26.3 |
| 1983 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 30.1 |
| 1984 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 25.7 |
| 1985 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24.2 |
| 1986 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22.9 |
| 1987 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23.5 |
| 1988 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 28.1 |
| 1989 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 28.8 |
| 1990 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 30.3 |
| 1991 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 27.3 |
| 1992 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 26.1 |
| 1993 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24.5 |
| 1994 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 28.4 |
| 1995 | 26 | 32 | 38 | 32.0 |
| 1996 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 29.0 |
| 1997 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 25.9 |
| 1998 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23.8 |
| 1999 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 28.3 |
| 2000 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 27.8 |
| 2001 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 25.7 |
| 2002 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 28.2 |
| 2003 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 33.0 |
| 2004 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 26.4 |
| 2005 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 29.1 |
| 2006 | 3 | 11 | 15 | 33.6 |
| 2007 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 25.8 |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23.5 |
| 2009 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 27.6 |
| 2010 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 26.2 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23.4 |
| 2012 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 25.6 |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24.8 |
| 2014 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 28.0 |
| 2015 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 30.0 |
| 2016 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 32.2 |
| 2017 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 26.3 |
| 2018 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 30.6 |
| 2019 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 28.7 |
| 2020 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 28.5 |
| 2021 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 29.9 |
| 2022 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 32.3 |
| 2023 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 29.4 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 25.4 |
| 2025 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 30.5 |
| 2026 | 3 | 12 | 16 | 33.9 |
Unsurprisingly, extreme heat at Valley is a summer phenomenon, and the data show exactly how the risk builds and fades across the warm months. Based on the full series, July is the month with the highest average number of days above 28°C, at 1.9 per year. August runs a close second with 1.8 days. June follows at 1.3, while May and September each average 1.0 days above the threshold. This means that from May through September, there is a real, measurable chance of hitting 28°C in any given year—but the heart of summer, July and August, is when that chance is greatest.
| Month | Average days above 28°C per year |
|---|---|
| May | 1.0 |
| June | 1.3 |
| July | 1.9 |
| August | 1.8 |
| September | 1.0 |
Looking at the recent years in the series, the pattern is clear: extreme heat days are not a relic of the past. The year 2026, with data up to August 9, already logged 3 days above 28°C and a year-maximum of 33.9°C—the highest in the entire record. 2022 produced 5 extreme heat days and a maximum of 32.3°C, while 2025 recorded 4 such days with a top temperature of 30.5°C. Even in a cool year like 2024, with just 3 days above 23°C and no day exceeding 25.4°C, the contrast with the hot summers is stark. The 1976 summer remains the benchmark for sheer number of hot days, but recent decades have brought their own memorable heatwaves.
For anyone living in or visiting Valley, these figures offer a practical guide: if you are planning outdoor events between May and September, a day above 28°C is a real possibility, and in the hottest years you should be prepared for several. The full series, from 1941 to 2026, shows both the extremes and the ordinary—years with zero hot days sit alongside years with 27, and the all-time record of 33.9°C, set on June 24, 2026, now marks the upper limit of what this corner of the UK has experienced.
Source: Met Office, Valley station, period 1941–2026.
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