The UK Health Security Agency has extended an amber health warning by 24 hours for several regions in England as temperatures are expected to reach 35C on Tuesday, potentially making it the hottest May day on record. The alerts now remain in place until 5pm on Thursday for the south-west, south-east, London, East and West Midlands, and west of England, alongside yellow alerts for the north-west and north-east.
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 reduce the heat. The Met Office warned of isolated thunderstorms with lightning, hail, gusty winds, and up to 30mm of rain in less than an hour.
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. The previous record was set on Sunday when temperatures stayed above 19.4C.
Kew Gardens recorded a provisional all-time highest meteorological spring temperature of 34.8C on Monday, surpassing the previous May peak of 32.8C set in 1922 and 1944. The Met Office confirmed that 12 locations broke records on Monday, with 97 sites reaching or exceeding 30C.
Firefighters tackled a grass fire near Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh as temperatures hit 25C, while a 13-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty in a West Yorkshire reservoir on Monday. The Met Office forecast highs of 35C for large areas of southern England and Wales on Tuesday, with heatwave conditions already met in eight parts of England by Sunday.
Temperatures are expected to gradually decline from midweek but remain in the high 20s with dry, sunny spells. The risk of unnaturally hot extremes has increased with rising global temperatures driven by carbon pollution.
