The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended an amber health warning by 24 hours for several regions in England, as temperatures are forecast to reach 35C on Tuesday, potentially making it the hottest May day on record. The alert now remains in place until 5pm on Thursday for the south-west, south-east, London, East and West Midlands, and the west of England, alongside yellow alerts for the north-west and north-east.
Monday saw the UK experience a 'tropical night' as 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 Met Office confirmed that 12 locations broke records on Monday, with 97 monitoring sites reaching or exceeding 30C. Kew Gardens in south-west London recorded a provisional all-time high for meteorological spring at 34.8C.
However, thunderstorms are expected to bring some relief, with warnings issued for parts of the south-west, West Midlands, East Midlands, and east of England between 3pm and 10pm on Tuesday. Isolated thunderstorms with lightning, hail, and gusty winds are predicted, along with up to 30mm of rain in less than an hour.
Firefighters worked through Monday night to tackle a grass fire near Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, and a 13-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty in a West Yorkshire reservoir. The Met Office's Greg Dewhurst noted that heatwaves are developing more quickly than in the past, attributing this to the climate crisis.
Temperatures are expected to gradually decline from midweek but will remain in the high 20s, with dry, sunny spells. The heatwave continues across Europe, with Spain and France likely to set new highs.
