The UK has provisionally recorded its hottest May and spring day on record after Kew Gardens hit 34.8C on Monday, beating the old May high of 32.8C from 1922/1944
The UK has provisionally set a new spring and May temperature record after Kew Gardens hit 34.8°C on Monday (May 25) as the heatwave continued, the Met Office said.
If the reading is confirmed, it would beat the previous May high of 32.8°C set in 1922 and matched in 1944, and would also become the warmest day recorded in meteorological spring (March to May).
“Today has been the hottest day in May on record with Kew Gardens provisionally reaching 34.8°C – exceeding the previous highest May temperature in the UK by a full 2 degrees Celsius,” the Met Office wrote in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“This heat would be exceptional in the UK even in mid summer, let alone in May.” The record was also surpassed at Heathrow, Greater London (34.4°C); Northolt, Greater London (34.2°C).
Other parts of England sweltered close behind London, with the Met Office saying the record was also surpassed at Northolt (34.2°C) and Teddington Bushy Park in Middlesex (34.0°C). Temperatures above 33°C were also recorded at Benson in Oxfordshire (33.6°C), Wisley in Surrey (33.3°C), Reading University (33.2°C) and Wellesbourne in Warwickshire (33.2°C), with further locations reaching 32.9°C across Oxfordshire, Surrey, Norfolk and Suffolk.
Wales also saw a May record broken, after Hawarden Airport in Clwyd hit 32.2°C – above the previous Welsh record of 30.6°C at Newport, Monmouthshire, on 29 May 1944. Met Office Chief Operational Meteorologist Dan Suri said: “We’ve now provisionally broken the spring and May temperature record.
“Meteorologically, what we’ve seen is the influence of warmth building under an area of high pressure near the UK allowing exceptional heat to build allowing maximum and minimum temperatures to reach levels not previously reported at this time of year.” He added: “Further heat is in the forecast for much of England and Wales, with similar temperatures forecast for Tuesday.
“High pressure is forecast to gradually lose its influence later in the week, though maximum temperatures will still remain high and in the low 30°Cs for some mid-week and high 20°Cs late this week.” The Met Office stressed the 34.8°C figure is provisional and will undergo “a rigorous validation process” before any official record is confirmed, including a site inspection and checks on the equipment used.
Forecasters warned the heat will remain well above average into midweek, with another peak of around 35°C possible on Tuesday (May 26) in London, the Home Counties and Cambridgeshire, while much of eastern Wales and southern, central and eastern England could again top 30°C away from immediate coastal areas.
Highs of 31°C are forecast for Wednesday (May 27), 30°C for Thursday (May 28) and the high 20s into the weekend.
The UK Health Security Agency has Amber and Yellow Heat Health Alerts in place, while the British Red Cross has urged people to take precautions to avoid dehydration, sunburn and heat stroke.
The Met Office also pointed to research showing climate change is making record-breaking May heat increasingly likely.
Britain’s heat record smashed as one area sees hottest weather since 1944