August 2026
SUMMARY OF THE METEOROLOGICAL READINGS AT DURHAM UNIVERSITY OBSERVATORY
August 2026
Temperatures (all temperatures in degrees Celsius; all averages 1991-2020)
Mean daily maximum: 22.0 Difference from average: +2.2
Mean daily minimum: 11.9 Difference from average: +0.6
Mean air temperature: 17.02 Difference from average: +1.4
Absolute maximum: 32.9 (13th)
Absolute minimum: 5.7 (23rd)
Mean grass minimum: 10.0 Difference from average: +0.8
Absolute grass minimum: 3.4 (23rd)
Mean concrete minimum: 12.1
Absolute concrete minimum: 6.2 (23rd)
Number of ground frosts: 0 Difference from average: 0
Number of air frosts: 0 Difference from average: 0
Mean soil temperature at 300 mm depth: 17.8
Mean soil temperature at 1000 mm depth: 16.7
Rainfall (all totals in millimetres; all averages 1991-2020)
Total for the month: 41.4 Difference from average: -24.8
Percentage of the average: 62.6%
Wettest day: 12.4 (30th)
Number of rain days (>0.1 mm): 12 Difference from average: -4
Number of wet days (=>1.0 mm): 7 Difference from average: -3
3-month total rainfall to 31st August 2026: 86.0 Difference from average: -103.4
6-month total rainfall to 31st August 2026: 240.6 Difference from average: -85.8
12-month total rainfall to 31st August 2026: 693.8 Difference from average: +13.6
Sunshine (all totals in hours; all averages 1991-2020)
Total for the month: 190.3 Difference from average: +23.7
Percentage of the average: 114.2 %
Mean daily sunshine: 6.14 Difference from average: 0.76
Sunniest day: 10.1 (24th) Number of days with no recorded sunshine: 0
Note that the monthly sunshine total is now calculated from the UKMO E&NE regional total. Daily sunshine totals quoted here and in the data summary are uncorrected.
Wind (m/s; data from the West Building roof, Lower Mountjoy campus)
Average wind speed: 1.4
Maximum gust: 15.6 (5th, WSW, 15:45)
Pressure (mbar; data from the West Building roof, Lower Mountjoy campus)
Average: 1014.0
Maximum: 1025.7 (23rd, 07:30) Minimum: 999.2 (28th, 11:00, 11:15, 12:00-13:15)
Comments on August 2026
The maximum temperature of 32.9 °C on the 13th is a new record for August since records began in 1843, surpassing the previous record of 32.5 °C on 3rd August 1990. The mean air temperature (17.02 °C) is the equal 7th highest on record, the mean maximum (22.0 °C) is the equal 6th highest, and the mean minimum is the equal 14th highest (11.9 °C). The first half of the month was very hot with slightly cooler weather in the second half. It was the 37th driest August since 1850 and the 18th sunniest August since 1880.
For the summer as a whole, the mean air temperature of 17.01 °C makes it the hottest summer in Durham since records began in 1844, beating last year’s record by 0.09 °C. The mean maximum temperature was a new record, 21.83 °C, 2.49 °C above average, and the mean minimum was 12.20 °C, 1.59 °C above average and second only to 2025 (12.23 °C).
August 13th was the warmest summer day on record. Rainfall totalled 86 mm this summer, just 45% of normal, the 5th driest summer on record. Summer sunshine totalled 620.3 hours, the 5th sunniest summer on record; 1976 still holds that record – 669.8 hours. There were no days without sunshine during the summer period. The Davis Index of summer weather was 823, second only to 1976 (831), which still holds the record due to the very sunny weather that summer.
Emeritus Professor Tim Burt
Department of Geography
Durham University