The summer holidays are officially over.
Many families will be sharing first day photographs, with grey sky backdrops, as children head back to school, after months of unusually warm weather. September is here.
It’s been a hot one hasn’t it? The Met Office has recently confirmed that summer 2026 was provisionally the hottest the UK has experienced since records began in 1884. The average temperature across the summer was 16.5°C, while temperatures reached 38.1°C at Kew Gardens in August. England and Wales both experienced their warmest summers on record.
Were you one of the millions who decided to holiday in the UK this summer? Perhaps you invested in an air-conditioning unit for your home office. The warm weather has meant making changes to our everyday lives. Businesses have had to adapt too, and funeral services are no different.
And while this summer has been exceptional, we can’t assume it was a one-off. The UK’s five warmest summers on record have all occurred since 2003, with last year’s record broken again this summer. The Met Office expects UK summers to continue getting hotter, which means businesses need to think about how they adapt for the longer term.
Summer has always brought some additional considerations for funeral directors. Holidays can make it harder to find a date when everybody can attend, for example, and some families choose to delay a funeral until relatives return home. Hotter summers bring other considerations too, both for the way we care for someone who has died and for the people attending the funeral.
Most of this happens behind the scenes and shouldn’t be something families have to worry about. However, after the summer we’ve experienced in Cardiff and across South Wales, we thought it would be helpful to share five practicalities families may want to consider when arranging or attending a funeral in very hot weather.
Think carefully before delaying a funeral
We understand that finding the right date for a funeral can be difficult during the summer months. Family members may have holidays booked, people may be travelling abroad and childcare can be difficult to juggle. There may be very good reasons why you would prefer to wait until everybody important to you can be there.
If you are considering delaying a funeral during a period of hot weather, speak to your funeral director about what that means for the care of the person who has died.
Higher temperatures can make caring for someone more challenging, particularly if there is going to be a longer period between their death and the funeral.
There are also some delays at the moment that families can’t control. Changes to death certification mean that, in most cases, the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death now needs to be independently reviewed and countersigned by a Medical Examiner before the death can be registered. This can add time to the process.
Whether you choose to wait for family members or experience a delay outside your control, a longer period before the funeral can require some additional consideration during very hot weather. Your funeral director will explain how your loved one will be cared for.
When it comes to arranging the service itself, we will work with crematoria, cemeteries, churches, celebrants and other venues to accommodate your preferences wherever we reasonably can. A morning service may feel preferable when temperatures are particularly high, although availability will depend on the other services and venues involved.
There is no need to arrive too early
People understandably don’t want to be late for a funeral, which can mean arriving well before the service is due to begin.
On a very hot day, spending an unnecessary 30 or 40 minutes standing outside can make an already difficult day more uncomfortable.
Your funeral director will advise what time you need to arrive and whether there is somewhere comfortable to wait. Many churches are naturally cooler, while other funeral venues may have air-conditioning or areas where you can wait out of direct sunlight.
This is particularly worth thinking about for a burial or graveside service, where there may be less shade and people could spend more of the funeral outdoors.
We are currently looking at practical options such as portable seating that can be easily carried in our vehicles and made available at the graveside when needed.
But you don’t need to second-guess any of this. If you’re worried about the heat before a funeral, speak to us and we can explain what to expect at the particular venue.
Think about anyone who may find the heat difficult
Extreme heat affects people differently.
Older relatives, babies and young children, pregnant guests, people with limited mobility and those with certain health conditions may find spending time outside in very hot weather particularly uncomfortable.
Think about whether they will have somewhere to sit, how long they are likely to be outside and whether there is somewhere cooler they can wait before the funeral begins.
If attending the funeral in person is going to be difficult, it may also be worth asking whether the service can be streamed or recorded. The SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2026 found that 50% of funeral directors had seen families sharing web links or video apps so people could watch services online. This allows someone to be part of the funeral without putting themselves through a journey or conditions they aren’t comfortable with.
The same applies when arranging a funeral.
We don’t ask families to travel to one of our funeral homes for every conversation. We can arrange more of the funeral remotely, allowing you to speak to us from your own home if travelling during very hot weather is difficult.
Give people permission to dress for the weather
What to wear is one of the questions people often worry about before attending a funeral.
During very hot weather, formal clothing, dark colours, jackets and ties can make people considerably warmer. If you don’t expect guests to dress formally, letting them know can remove some of that worry.
A simple note with the funeral details explaining that jackets aren’t expected or that guests should dress comfortably for the weather is enough.
There is no single correct way to dress for a funeral. What matters most is respecting the wishes of the family and being comfortable enough to focus on the person you’ve come to remember.
If you would like more information about funeral etiquette – in all weathers – including what to wear, read our blog: What to wear. What to say. What to expect.
Decide what you would like to happen to the flowers
Flowers can be particularly affected by high temperatures, especially if they are left outside or out of water for a long time.
If you would like to keep funeral flowers, take them home, give them to family members or donate them somewhere afterwards, speak to your funeral director beforehand.
We can make sure they are available as soon as possible after the service rather than leave them unnecessarily in the heat. Your florist can also advise you on flowers and arrangements better suited to warmer conditions.
Caring for someone who has died during very hot weather
Talking about the care of your loved one after they’ve died is understandably something you may feel less comfortable talking about, but it’s an important part of our work as funeral directors.
After someone dies, caring for them with dignity is one of our most important responsibilities. When temperatures remain high for a prolonged period, we may need to talk to you about the options available for caring for your loved one, particularly if there is going to be a longer wait before the funeral or you would like to spend time with them in our chapel of rest.
One of the options we may discuss with a family is embalming.
Embalming is a process that helps preserve the person who has died and can help maintain their appearance.
If we believe embalming is worth considering, we will explain why we are raising it, and if you want to know, what the process involves and the alternatives available. If you decide against it, we will explain how we will continue to care for your loved one and any practical timescales you may need to consider.
Although we have certainly noticed the impact of this summer’s temperatures, we have the facilities, equipment and experienced team needed to manage that additional pressure. Families should feel reassured that the person they have trusted us to care for continues to receive the same standard of care.
How we are adapting to hotter summers
Adapting to hotter weather doesn’t necessarily mean changing what families see on the day of the funeral. Much of the work happens behind the scenes to make sure we can continue providing the same service, whatever the weather.
- We provide bottled water and umbrellas at all our funeral services, helping families and guests stay comfortable when they need to spend time outside.
- Our funeral fleet is fully air-conditioned, and during particularly hot weather we avoid leaving vehicles stationary in direct sunlight for longer than necessary and park in the shade where possible.
Hot weather also puts additional strain on our vehicles, including tyres, batteries and cooling systems, so we have increased our maintenance checks during periods of extreme heat.
We’ve also relaxed some uniform requirements for colleagues when they aren’t dealing directly with families. And, families can arrange more of the funeral remotely if travelling to one of our funeral homes is difficult in the heat.
We’re now looking at what else will make a practical difference as hotter summers become more common. Portable seating that can be stored in our vehicles and used at graveside services is one option. We’re also reviewing cooling and air-conditioning across our premises.
We can learn from funeral services in countries where extreme summer temperatures have been part of everyday life for much longer. In Western Australia, for example, shade, portable seating and chilled water are some of the practical measures offered for outdoor services. These are simple actions, some of which are already part of the way we work; others give us useful guidance to consider for the future.
Our priority has always been, and continues to be, providing families with the same consistent standard of care. Any changes need to be practical, lasting and genuinely useful.
FAQs about funerals in hot weather
Yes. There are some reasons why families may need or want to delay a funeral, particularly during the summer holidays. If there will be a longer period before the funeral, speak to your funeral director about how your loved one will be cared for and whether there are any additional considerations because of the temperature.
No. Embalming isn’t compulsory simply because the weather is hot. However, it may be something your funeral director discusses with you if there will be a longer wait before the funeral or if you would like to spend time with your loved one in the chapel of rest. The decision remains yours.
Unless the family has asked guests to follow a particular dress code, choose clothing that is respectful but comfortable for the conditions. Families can also let guests know in advance if jackets, ties or other formal clothing aren’t expected.
Yes. We can arrange many aspects of a funeral remotely. If travelling is difficult, speak to our team about arranging conversations from the comfort of your own home.
Preparing for warmer summers
Summer 2026 has been exceptional, but the longer-term picture tells us we need to be prepared for hotter summers in the years ahead.
For funeral directors, that means thinking about everything from the way we care for someone who has died to the experience of a family at a graveside on a very hot afternoon.
Families shouldn’t have to think about every one of those details. That’s our job. We will continue to review the way we work, learning from this summer and from funeral services operating in hotter climates and making practical changes where they will improve the experience for the families we care for.
If you are arranging a funeral in Cardiff or South Wales and have concerns about hot weather, please speak to our team. We can talk you through the practical considerations and help you make arrangements that are right for your family.