Summer 2026 will go down as a remarkable one in Lyme Regis, a summer of heatwaves, a prolonged spell of dry weather, and day after day of glorious sunshine.
The summer was most memorable simply for its sheer run of sunshine. Beach days seemed almost endless, the sea was inviting, evenings stretched on, and there was a feeling that the fine weather might never end.
It was not simply a few hot weeks, the exceptional warmth was accompanied by an unusually long lack of rainfall and Lyme Regis has been under a temporary hosepipe ban introduced by South West Water since 14th July.
Following the driest July on record Dorset, including Lyme Regis, was officially declared in drought by the Environment Agency on 29th July.
By August, the surrounding hills and fields were beginning to look very different from their usual green and pleasant appearance. The grass had turned brown, the ground was hard and baked, the River Lym was running low, and the countryside had taken on a parched appearance. The familiar green of the West Country had faded to shades of straw and gold, and the countryside was crying out for rain.
The Met Office reported that summer 2026 was provisionally the UK's hottest summer on record, with England recording its second sunniest summer on record. Rainfall was well below average, particularly in the south.
Temperates in Lyme Regis hit 30°C or more on a total of 7 days during June, July and August.
