Hottest May day for 79 years
Monday forecast to be even warmer with 34C expected in London and the South East
The UK saw its hottest May day for at least 79 years on Sunday as “historic” temperatures are set to break records for the warmest bank holiday Monday.
Parts of the UK were as hot as the Mediterranean, with a high of 32.3C at Kew Gardens in south-west London, but Monday’s temperatures are expected to soar even higher to 34C in Greater London and across south-east England.
Wales and Northern Ireland also reached 2026 record temperatures of 27.4C in Cardiff and 23.4C in Armagh on Sunday.
Scotland saw highs of 23.5C in Edinburgh on Sunday, just 0.1C below the current record of 23.6C in Aboyne on May 1.
It comes as the Met Office said heatwave conditions have now been met in eight parts of England – Heathrow in Greater London, Benson in Oxfordshire, Brooms Barn in Suffolk, High Beech in Essex, Kew Gardens in London, Northolt in London, Santon Downham in Suffolk and Writtle in Essex.
The Met Office said that Santon Downham was the first location to meet the criteria at around 11.30am and its heatwave threshold is 27C for three consecutive days.
It was closely followed by Heathrow, where the criteria is three consecutive days at 28C, at around 11.50am.
Tom Morgan, a Met Office meteorologist, told the Press Association: “We rarely see temperatures above 35C, even in the summer months, so to see temperatures getting close to 35C in May is, as I say, pretty historic.”
He said overnight temperatures could also lead to records being broken, staying above 20C and being “uncomfortable for sleeping”.
Saturday was the first time this year that the UK had passed 30C and Sunday was even hotter the hottest May temperature since 1947.
Published: by Radio NewsHub