Britain's summer is on course to beat that of 1976 and become the hottest ever, the Met Office has said. The forecaster said it was "increasingly likely" that the scorching conditions of 2026 would surpass the long, hot summer of 50 years ago. The summer of 1976 is the hottest on record when assessing the weather by the highest average daily maximum temperature. The Met Office has warned that temperatures could reach 38C this week in the fifth heatwave of the summer, and advised against outdoor exercise between 11am and 3pm. The hot, dry weather is forecast to continue over the coming weeks.