The UK is set to experience an unprecedented May heatwave, with temperatures expected to reach 35C in parts of England on Monday. The Met Office has confirmed that this will likely be the hottest May day on record, surpassing the current record of 32.8C by a significant margin.
Sunday night saw a new overnight temperature record of 19.4C at Kenley in Greater London, narrowly avoiding a 'tropical night' where temperatures do not drop below 20C. However, tropical nights are forecast for Monday and Tuesday nights, a phenomenon never before recorded in May.
Several areas in England are officially in heatwave conditions, including Santon Downham in Suffolk, Heathrow, Kew Gardens, and Northolt in London, Benson in Oxfordshire, Brooms Barn in Suffolk, and High Beach and Writtle in Essex. Sunday was already the hottest May day in at least 79 years, with Kew Gardens recording 32.3C.
The climate crisis, driven by carbon pollution, is making such heatwaves more intense and frequent. Europe is the fastest-warming continent, and temperatures of 30C, once unusual even in summer, are becoming more common in the UK. Forecasters expect even hotter conditions by the end of summer, as the UK typically experiences its peak temperatures in late July or early August.
