Updated: 2026-07-31
That is the reading logged on 12 August 2020 at Coton-in-the-Elms, the reference climate station for the Birmingham area. It is the highest August maximum in the full 1991–2025 record analysed here — and it has not been beaten since.
The nearest Met Office measuring point to Birmingham is Coton-in-the-Elms station in Derbyshire, sitting at an elevation of 85 m, roughly 32.6 km from the city centre. The August record described below is what this station actually registered — the best available climatological reference for the Birmingham area, though local conditions in the city itself (urban heat island, valley shelter, proximity to buildings and parks) can make real temperatures differ from those at an open rural site.
12 August 2020 was a day when the thermometer at Coton-in-the-Elms climbed to 34.1°C. In a record series that runs from 1991 to 2025, that single August afternoon remains unmatched. It is a recent extreme — not a relic of a distant heatwave, but a mark set within the last decade and still holding at the top of the August rankings.
The station's complete daily record within this analysis spans from 1 March 1991 to 31 December 2025. Across those 35 Augusts (1991 through 2025, with the 2025 season incomplete), the maximum temperature of 34.1°C on 12 August 2020 is the single hottest August reading. No other August day in the record has reached that level — a fact that makes the 2020 event genuinely remarkable for this part of central England.
For a station at 85 m elevation in the Midlands, an August temperature above 30°C is already notable; 34.1°C sits well beyond that. The figure represents an intense synoptic setup — typically a strong southerly or continental flow drawing very warm air from mainland Europe, often combined with clear skies and dry ground. In the context of the 1991–2025 record, no other August day at Coton-in-the-Elms has matched this intensity.
When the mercury reached 34.1°C in mid-August 2020, it came during a spell that affected much of England. For Birmingham residents planning outdoor events or simply curious about their local climate, this is the benchmark: the hottest August day in the modern reference series for their area.
The single-row result is unambiguous: the maximum August temperature in the 1991–2025 series is 34.1°C, recorded on 12 August 2020. The station, Coton-in-the-Elms, holds this as its August ceiling. It is a recent record, set in 2020 and still standing as of the end of the analysed period on 31 December 2025.
The bottom line: if you want the August heat record for the Birmingham area, the official Met Office measurement says 34.1°C, logged at Coton-in-the-Elms on 12 August 2020. That is the number to cite, and it is the number that will likely be tested again in future heatwaves.
Birmingham itself has no long-running Met Office climate station with a complete daily series in this dataset. Coton-in-the-Elms, at 32.6 km distance, is the closest reference point with reliable, continuous measurements. Its readings are the standard proxy for the Birmingham region's climate. The city's urban fabric — its dense buildings, paved surfaces and heat-retaining materials — can push actual Birmingham temperatures above the open-country reading at Coton-in-the-Elms on hot summer afternoons. Likewise, local shade or breezes could lower them. For a precise measure of Birmingham's own streets, a dedicated urban station would be needed; for a historical August record, Coton-in-the-Elms is the best available official source.
This distinction matters for understanding the number: 34.1°C is what a well-sited rural station recorded, not necessarily what a thermometer in central Birmingham showed that same day. It is, however, the closest official measurement and the one used by climatologists tracking extremes for this region.
August is still a month capable of producing significant heat in the Midlands. The 2020 event reached 34.1°C, but warm-season extremes elsewhere in the UK have trended upward in recent decades. Given the right combination of a strong continental high, southerly flow and clear skies, a future August could challenge this mark. Until then, 12 August 2020 stands as the date to remember for Birmingham-area August heat.
For anyone in Birmingham or nearby Derbyshire wondering about historical August heat: the official record is 34.1°C, from 12 August 2020, at the nearest Met Office station. That single number encapsulates the hottest August moment in the modern record for this part of the country. Whether you are a researcher, a traveller planning an outdoor event, or simply tracking local climate change, this is the benchmark to use.
The analysed period covers 1 March 1991 to 31 December 2025, with the August maximum of 34.1°C on 12 August 2020 as the standout event. No other August in the series comes close enough to be listed separately from this clearly defined peak.
Source: Met Office — MIDAS archive, official daily station data. Station: Coton-in-the-Elms, Derbyshire. Period analysed: 1991–2025.
Data accessed via CEDA (Centre for Environmental Data Analysis), Open Government Licence (OGL v3.0). This page describes the nearest Met Office measuring point to Birmingham, not the city's own readings.
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© 2026 HistoClima · data: Met Office (OGL v3.0) · not affiliated with Met Office · citation permitted with source.