Updated: 2026-07-31
The point of measurement closest to Birmingham is the Met Office station at Coton-in-the-Elms, located in Derbyshire at 85 metres above sea level, about 32.6 km from the city centre. The figures below come from that station, not from Birmingham itself; local conditions—such as altitude differences, proximity to water, or an urban heat island effect—can make Birmingham's actual July weather differ from what this station records. Even so, it is the closest official reference point we have, and its long series gives the best available picture of extreme summer heat in the region.
The July heat record at Coton-in-the-Elms is 38.9 °C. That is the hottest maximum temperature ever measured there in any July.
It was set on 19 July 2022, a day that rewrote weather history across much of central and eastern England. That same afternoon, thermometers at this Derbyshire station climbed past every previous July extreme in its entire record.
To put 38.9 °C in context: this is a station that is used to mild, often damp Julys. The record is not just a fraction above the old mark—it represents a day when the usual summer warmth was replaced by something closer to a heatwave of rare intensity. The date—19 July 2022—is now the benchmark for anyone in this part of the Midlands planning outdoor events, agricultural work, or simply wondering how hot a July day can actually get here. Since that afternoon, no other July has come close to matching it.
The Met Office MIDAS archive, held at the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis (CEDA), contains a continuous daily series for this station stretching from 1 March 1991 through 31 December 2025. Within that 1991–2025 window, the July maximum on 19 July 2022 stands alone at the top. The record is recent—it has not been beaten since it was set, and it remains the reference point for extreme July heat near Birmingham.
Coton-in-the-Elms sits in the Trent Valley, roughly north-east of Birmingham. Its position at 85 m altitude means it often records temperatures representative of the wider Midlands lowlands, though it is not identical to conditions inside Birmingham itself. The city's urban core, with its dense buildings and roads, can be warmer at night; the surrounding countryside can be cooler. For anyone wanting a defensible, official number for "how hot can July get near Birmingham," this is the closest long-running Met Office station available.
The 38.9 °C reading on 19 July 2022 came during a spell of exceptional heat that affected much of England. At this station, it was not just a warm day—it was the single biggest outlier in the July series, a full jump beyond what any other July day in the 1991–2025 period had delivered. That is what makes it the record: not a marginal improvement, but a day that reset expectations for what summer heat in central England can reach.
The table below shows the hottest July day in the entire available series for this station. There is only one record row because the maximum is a single, singular value—the day when July was at its most extreme.
| Hottest July temperature | Date |
|---|---|
| 38.9 °C | 2022-07-19 |
Any July afternoon that pushes toward 38.9 °C at Coton-in-the-Elms is an extraordinary event. It is not the kind of heat that appears regularly; it is the kind that arrives once in a generation, if that. For residents of Birmingham and the surrounding area, the takeaway is simple: July can get very hot here, and the official record says it already has. The 2022 date is recent enough that many will remember the day—the schools, the closed offices, the advice to stay indoors. That memory now has a precise number attached to it: 38.9 °C, measured at the nearest official station.
Of course, Birmingham itself may have seen slightly different values on that day. The urban fabric can add a degree or two to afternoon highs, especially in the city centre, while outlying districts may have been a touch cooler. The station at Coton-in-the-Elms is the official reference, and it is the closest one we have. For a defensible, traceable answer to "what is the July heat record near Birmingham?", this is the figure to use.
These data come from the Met Office's MIDAS archive, the UK's national repository for weather observations, held at CEDA. The station identifier is 00542, and the series covers daily maximum temperatures from 1 March 1991 to 31 December 2025. The record maximum for July in that period was confirmed as 38.9 °C on 19 July 2022. No other July day in that range reached that level. The value is exact, as recorded by the official instrument at Coton-in-the-Elms.
If you are planning an event in July near Birmingham, or simply want to know what the summer heat can do, the answer is now clear: the record stands at 38.9 °C, set on 19 July 2022, and it has held ever since. That is the benchmark for extreme July warmth in this corner of the Midlands, measured where the instruments actually are, not guessed for the city itself.
Source: Met Office MIDAS archive at CEDA — Coton-in-the-Elms station (Derbyshire), 1991–2025. Official UK Met Office data under Open Government Licence (OGL v3.0).
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