An amber health warning has been extended by 24 hours for several regions in England as temperatures are expected to reach 35C on Tuesday, potentially marking the hottest May day on record. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the alert for the south-west, south-east, London, East and West Midlands, and west of England would remain in place until 5pm on Thursday. Yellow alerts are also in force for the north-west and north-east.
The UK experienced a 'tropical night' on Monday when temperatures at Kenley airfield in south London did not fall below 21.3C, breaking the record for the highest daily minimum temperature in May for the second consecutive day. On Sunday, the previous record was set at 19.4C. The Met Office confirmed that 12 locations broke records on Monday, with 97 monitoring sites reaching or surpassing 30C. At Kew Gardens, a provisional all-time May high of 34.8C was recorded.
Thunderstorm warnings have been issued for parts of the south-west, West Midlands, East Midlands, and east of England between 3pm and 10pm on Tuesday, which could help reduce the heat. Isolated thunderstorms with lightning, hail, and gusty winds are expected, along with up to 30mm of rain in less than an hour. The Met Office senior forecaster Greg Dewhurst noted that heatwaves are developing more quickly now, attributing this to the climate crisis.
Firefighters worked through Monday night to tackle a grass fire near Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh as temperatures in the city reached 25C. Meanwhile, a 13-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty in a West Yorkshire reservoir. West Yorkshire police said he was pulled from the water and pronounced dead in hospital.
Temperatures are expected to gradually decline from midweek but will remain in the high 20s, with dry, sunny spells. The heatwave conditions have also been recorded across Europe, with Spain and France likely to see new highs on Tuesday.
