Britain has shattered its spring temperature record after Kew Gardens hit 34.8C on Bank Holiday Monday — with the Met Office warning the heatwave will continue through the week before finally breaking next week.
Met Office Chief Operational Meteorologist Dan Suri confirmed the country had “provisionally broken the spring and May temperature record,” surpassing the previous high of 32.8C set in both 1922 and 1944. Senior meteorologist Becky Mitchell warned Tuesday could be even hotter, with temperatures potentially reaching 36C in parts of southern England and Wales.
The Met Office said in a statement: “Tuesday will be another very hot day, with a rapid rise in temperatures through the morning. A peak of 35C is again expected in London, the Home Counties and Cambridgeshire. More widely, temperatures exceeding 30C will again be reached across eastern Wales, and eastern, southern and central England away from immediate coastal areas.”
Looking further ahead, the Met Office expects highs of 33C on Wednesday, falling to 32C on Thursday, 30C on Friday and 29C on Saturday — meaning the heat is set to linger into the weekend before cooler conditions return the following week as Atlantic weather systems push in from the west.
Its long-range forecast covering 30 May to 8 June said: “The south of the UK is expected to be mainly fine and dry for the start of this period, with temperatures above normal. Moving further into the period, conditions will likely become unsettled across the UK as a whole, with showers or longer spells of rain at times. Temperatures will probably be near normal overall.”
The UK Health Security Agency has issued Amber and Yellow heat-health alerts across England, warning the extreme conditions could cause a “rise in deaths.” Authorities have urged vulnerable people, the elderly and those with underlying health conditions to stay cool, keep hydrated and check on neighbours.
A UK heatwave is officially declared when a location exceeds its regional temperature threshold for three consecutive days — up to 28C in London and the South East, but as low as 25C in the North and Scotland. The record for the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK remains 40.3C, set in Coningsby, Lincolnshire on 19 July 2022.
