Hottest May day on record in UK as temperatures pass 34C

The UK has recorded its all-time highest May somesthesia arsenic parts of London reached 34.8C connected Monday.

That figure, recorded successful Kew Gardens, besides surpassed the hottest Bank Holiday Monday connected grounds - 33.3C seen connected the August slope vacation successful 2019.

Wales has besides experienced its hottest May day, reaching 31.1C astatine Trawscoed, Ceredigion.

And the mercury is expected to emergence further successful the South and South East of England, with forecasters informing of imaginable 35C vigor connected Monday and Tuesday.

The UK recorded its warmest May nighttime connected Sunday, with highs of 19.4C successful London.

The mean somesthesia for the extremity of May is 14-20C.

The North East, North West, South West, Yorkshire and Humber regions are nether a yellowish alert. Both alerts volition stay successful spot until 17:00 BST Wednesday.

BBC pb upwind presenter Simon King has described this early-season heatwave arsenic unprecedented.

Scotland and Northern Ireland recorded their highest temperatures for 2026 truthful acold connected Monday - 25.5C successful Charterhall and 24.6C successful Hillsborough respectively.

Around 500 properties successful Sussex and Kent were near without water, oregon had intermittent proviso owed to "increased demand", connected Monday afternoon.

Apologising for the disruption, South East Water said it was moving "as rapidly and safely arsenic possible" to resoluteness the issues.

Across the UK a fig of slope vacation events were cancelled due to the fact that of the utmost heat.

In Surrey, Leatherhead Lions Club said its yearly slope vacation donkey derby would nary longer see the donkeys oregon a canine amusement "for the payment and comfortableness of the animals".

German YouTuber Tom Kopke, known online arsenic Tooleko, bushed section rival and Guinness World Record holder Chris Anderson successful the archetypal contention of the yearly lawsuit connected Cooper's Hill successful Brockworth.

As the blistery upwind continues, England could spot immoderate thunderstorms connected Tuesday evening, forecasters person said.

Temperatures are expected to deed 30C connected Wednesday and Thursday successful England and Wales earlier dipping into the precocious 20s connected Friday.

Heatwave conditions were met successful 8 parts of England connected Sunday - Heathrow successful Greater London, Benson successful Oxfordshire, Brooms Barn successful Suffolk, High Beech successful Essex, Kew Gardens and Northolt successful London, Santon Downham successful Suffolk and Writtle successful Essex.

The AA has warned drivers "not to driblet their guard" erstwhile mounting retired connected agelong journeys this week, with conveyance interiors perchance reaching 60C erstwhile successful the sun.

"Drivers should ne'er permission children, susceptible passengers oregon pets wrong a parked vehicle, adjacent for a abbreviated time," the breakdown work said.

Age UK recommended staying wrong betwixt 11:00 and 15:00, and taking regular acold baths and showers.

Climate alteration is believed to person played a relation successful specified blistery spells arsenic this.

According to the Met Office's State of the UK Climate report, the fig of days successful the UK with temperatures supra 28C has much than doubled and the fig of days with temperatures supra 30C has much than trebled successful the astir caller decade, compared with the 1961-1990 average.

It is not conscionable the UK experiencing this historical heatwave, with respective European countries seeing May vigor records breached implicit the past fewer days.

In Spain, 38C was recorded connected Sunday. Across France and Germany, with temperatures climbing into the mid-30s, hundreds of localities saw records for May being broken.

Temperatures crossed France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and bluish Italy person been 10 to 15C supra mean for precocious May - and with the unprecedented heatwave expected to past for astir of the week, it is apt much section records volition beryllium broken.