London St James's Park: hottest days on record

Summary of the period 1912–2025

The Met Office station at St James's Park has been measuring daily maximum temperatures since 1912. Over this 114‑year series, the annual average maximum ranges from a cool 13.1 °C (1963) to a mild 17.3 °C (2022). The highest annual maximum for the series is 40.2 °C recorded on 19 July 2022, with the year 2022 also showing the warmest average maximum of 17.3 °C.

Summer months dominate the list of extremes: the average maximum for July stands at 22.6 °C, and the hottest daily maxima all occur between July and August. The coldest annual minimum in the series is –10.0 °C, measured in 1929, while the mildest winter minimum on record is –0.5 °C in 1974. The table below shows the full year‑by‑year breakdown of maximum temperatures, annual averages, and lowest minima. The complete annual table of records per year is available at the /go/ link.

Average and record maximum temperatures by month

July is the hottest month on average (22.6 °C) and holds the absolute record with 40.2 °C. August follows with a mean maximum of 22.3 °C and a record of 36.1 °C. The warmest daily maximum outside the summer core is 31.7 °C in May and 29.1 °C in April and October.

Top 5 hottest days on record

All five hottest days occurred after 2019, with three of them in July 2022 and July 2019/2020. The most extreme day, 19 July 2022, reached 40.2 °C with a night‑time minimum of 21.4 °C, making it an exceptionally warm 24‑hour period for London.

Per‑year maximum, average maximum, and lowest minimum (1912–2025)

The chart shows the complete annual series. The table lists the most notable years; the full series comes from Met Office.

In 2003 only a partial record appears (a single month), so the annual max of 14.0 °C corresponds to a short available period that year. Excluding that, the coolest year‑max in the complete series is 25.5 °C (1974) and the warmest is 2022 with 40.2 °C.

Frequently asked questions

What is the hottest day ever recorded at St James's Park?

19 July 2022, with a maximum temperature of 40.2 °C. The minimum that day was 21.4 °C and the mean temperature was 30.8 °C.

Which month typically has the highest temperatures?

July, with an average maximum of 22.6 °C. August follows closely at 22.3 °C. The highest monthly record is also July (40.2 °C).

What is the coldest temperature ever recorded at the station?

The lowest minimum in the entire series is –10.0 °C, recorded in 1929. Since then, the lowest minima have been around –9.4 °C (1940 and 1947) and –9.0 °C (1987).

Have all record‑breaking days occurred recently?

Yes, the five hottest days in the series all took place after 2019: 2022 (two days), 2019, and 2020 (two days). The previous record of 35.3 °C (1990) was surpassed three times in July 2022 and 2020.

Where is the St James's Park station located?

It is a Met Office station in central London, within St James's Park, providing a long‑running urban temperature series since 1912.

What does “average maximum” mean in the tables?

It is the mean of the daily maximum temperatures for the station, calculated over all complete years in the series. For example, the annual average maximum in 2022 was 17.3 °C.