The United Kingdom has officially recorded its hottest day of the year so far, as temperatures soared to 32.1 degrees Celsius on Sunday, prompting the declaration of a heatwave in eight locations across southeast England.
Heatwave Criteria Met
The Met Office confirmed that Santon Downham was the first location to meet the heatwave threshold of 27C for three consecutive days, achieving this milestone around 11:30 am on Sunday. Heathrow followed shortly after at approximately 11:50 pm, meeting the criteria of three consecutive days at 28C. Temperatures in the Heathrow area have since climbed further to 30C.
Monday is expected to bring even higher temperatures, with forecasts predicting up to 34C in Greater London and across the southeast of England.
Historic Temperatures
A Met Office spokesperson told the Press Association: “We rarely see temperatures above 35C, even in the summer months, so to see temperatures getting close to 35 in May is, as I say, pretty historic.”
Saturday marked the first time this year that the UK surpassed 30C, a milestone not achieved in May since 2012. Elsewhere in England, temperatures ranged between 25C and 30C on Sunday, while Scotland experienced cooler conditions with readings in the mid-teens.
Health Alerts in Effect
The UK Health Security Agency has issued a series of amber heat health alerts for London, the southeast, the east, and the Midlands, which came into force on Friday. Yellow alerts are in place across the rest of England. These warnings indicate a likely “significant” impact on health and social services, as well as a potential rise in deaths.
The Met Office is also anticipating the hottest May day on record, with temperatures set to reach 33C in southern England and the Midlands in the coming days, potentially exceeding the current May temperature record of 32.8C.
Expert Commentary
Met Office deputy chief forecaster Steve Kocher stated: “It is likely that the May and spring UK temperature records will be broken over the Bank Holiday weekend, with forecast temperatures surpassing the existing record of 32.8C. As well as it being hot, there will be lots of dry and sunny weather for much of the UK. There will however be more cloud and some showers in Northern Ireland and western Scotland through the weekend. With relatively low sea surface temperatures there is also likely to be some low cloud and sea fog clinging closely to western coasts.”
The all-time May temperature record currently stands at 32.8C, recorded at Camden Square on 22 May 1922, and again at Horsham, Tunbridge Wells, and Regent’s Park on 29 May 1944.
