The United Kingdom has recorded its highest ever May temperature for the second consecutive day, with the mercury reaching 35.1C at Heathrow and Kew Gardens in London on Tuesday, according to the Met Office.
This follows Monday's provisional hottest meteorological spring temperature of 34.8C at Kew Gardens, surpassing the previous May record of 32.8C set in 1922. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms across England from 3pm to 10pm on Tuesday, with potential for up to 30mm of rainfall in an hour in some areas.
The UK Health Security Agency has extended amber heat alerts for several regions until 5pm on Thursday, including London, the south-east, south-west, East and West Midlands, and the west of England. Yellow alerts remain for the north-west and north-east. The National Fire Chiefs Council has issued a water safety warning following multiple drowning incidents over the bank holiday weekend, including the deaths of four teenagers.
A 13-year-old boy died on Monday in a West Yorkshire reservoir, and a 15-year-old boy was found dead in Lincolnshire after entering water at Swanholme Lakes. In Cornwall, a man in his 60s died while trying to save family members at Tregirls beach. On Tuesday night, police in Lancashire recovered the body of a 12-year-old boy who got into difficulty in the Ribble Valley.
The country experienced a 'tropical night' on Monday, with temperatures not falling below 20C; Kenley airfield recorded 21.3C. Many areas have reached heatwave thresholds, defined as three consecutive days meeting or exceeding 28C in London and parts of Cambridgeshire. May has also seen a record temperature range of 32.9C, from -0.1C on 12 May to 32.8C later in the month.
Climate scientists have linked the extreme heat to climate change. Friederike Otto of Imperial College London stated that such temperatures in spring are 'absolutely astonishing' and that infrastructure is 'woefully unprepared' for future events. Temperatures are forecast to decline from midweek, but many areas will remain warm and dry.
