Britons sweltered in 35C temperatures on Tuesday, as the UK experienced its hottest May day on record. The Met Office confirmed that Heathrow and Kew Gardens provisionally reached 35.0C, surpassing Monday's provisional record of 34.8C.
Record-Breaking Heat
In a post on X, the Met Office stated: "Today is now the hottest day in May on record with Heathrow and Kew Gardens provisionally reaching 35.0C." The forecaster noted that until yesterday, the highest temperature in May was 32.8C, but that record has now been exceeded on consecutive days by a full two degrees Celsius.
Temperatures could climb to 36C across large swathes of southern England and Wales, following days of high temperatures over the bank holiday weekend.
Tragic Incidents
Amid the heatwave, four teenagers—three boys and one girl—and a man in his 60s have died in "water-related incidents" in recent days. On Monday, a 13-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty in a West Yorkshire reservoir. A teenage girl was also pulled from the water at Kingsbury Water Park in north Warwickshire and pronounced dead at the scene.
Weather Warnings and Alerts
Yellow weather warnings for thunderstorms have been issued between 3pm and 10pm on Tuesday for parts of the South West, West Midlands, East Midlands, and East of England. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said amber alerts for the South West, South East, London, East and West Midlands, and the East of England will remain in place until 5pm on Thursday 28 May, along with yellow alerts for the North West and North East.
The country also experienced a "tropical night" as the record for the warmest minimum temperature for May was broken for the second consecutive day.
Transport Disruption
Speed restrictions are in place on LNER routes, causing delays, with services limited to 20 mph on 125mph lines at St Neots, Cambridgeshire, and Tollerton, North Yorkshire. South Western Railway (SWR) reported "smoke on the track" between London Waterloo and Vauxhall stations, and Great Northern passengers faced delays due to damage to overhead electrical wires.
Heatwave Conditions
Heatwave conditions were already met in eight parts of England by Sunday night: Heathrow, Kew Gardens, and Northolt in London; Benson in Oxfordshire; Brooms Barn and Santon Downham in Suffolk; and High Beech and Writtle in Essex. That number is expected to rise after the bank holiday, though data is yet to be released.
To qualify as a heatwave, temperatures must meet or surpass a specific threshold for three consecutive days.
Cooling Down
Temperatures will start to gradually decline from the middle of the week, but it will still be largely dry with sunny spells. Many will still experience temperatures in the high 20s. However, they will lower by around 10C in eastern areas as a brisk easterly wind develops.
If validated, the latest May record means seven of the 12 monthly highs have been set since 2003, the Met Office said. A previous study found that breaking this record "is around three times more likely now in our current climate than it would have been in a natural climate not impacted by greenhouse gas emissions." This means the event once judged a one-in-a-100-year event is now a one-in-33-year event.
Safety Advice
Firefighters worked through the night to tackle a grass fire near Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh as temperatures in the city hit 25C. Clouds of smoke were seen rising, and residents were advised to keep windows and doors shut.
The AA warned that vehicle interiors can reach 60C on a day when the outside temperature is 27C. The car rescue group attended 15% more breakdowns between Friday and Monday than in the same period last year, with 34,124 callouts compared to 29,602 during the same bank holiday period in 2025.
Age UK recommended staying indoors during the hottest hours of the day, between 11am and 3pm, and taking regular cold baths or showers, as the heat is dangerous for vulnerable groups including older adults whose bodies struggle to regulate temperature.
