Record for hottest May night broken in UK, while daytime temperature could hit 35C (95F)

26 May 2026

"It's official: England and Wales have seen their hottest-ever May days today - breaking records set just yesterday. The Met Office says that 35.1C was recorded in Kew Gardens, in London, with Cardiff's Bute Park seeing 32.9C.

"Ireland, too broke its May day record as temperatures at Shannon Airport edged into the 30s, with Met Éireann issuing yellow heat warnings across a number of counties into Wednesday.

"There's been little respite overnight, either, as restless sleepers in Kenley, London, saw 21.3C recorded last night.

"But this is the UK, so some areas are still chilly: In Shetland, tourists disembarking from a cruise ship were delighted by the sunny, 11C weather they found there.

"The extreme - and rare - heat, brought about by a so called '#HeatDome' that is encasing western Europe, is a sign of the fast-changing climate. Five days into the exceptional temperatures, NHS urgent care doctors are reporting more older patients in need of assistance. Calls to 999 are also ticking up.

"Elsewhere, authorities are warning bathers to be careful near water after four people died at English swimming spots over the bank holiday weekend.

"Fruit and vegetable farmers have warned that the heat is impacting crops, meaning they have to plan for how the changing climate affects their operations."

Read more:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cz7220e44dgt

#ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #ExtremeHeat #ClimateCrisis #ClimateDiaryUK #UKWx #EnglandWx #WalesWx

Health officials issue warnings as #UK bakes in the first #heatwave of 2025

By DANICA KIRKA, AP
June 20, 2025

LONDON (AP) — "British health officials are warning people across the country to take precautions when out in the sun as the U.K. bakes under its first heat wave of the year.

"Temperatures are expected to peak at 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) in some parts of eastern England on Saturday following a week of unusually warm weather, according to the national weather agency the Met Office. That’s about 12 C (22 F) higher than normal for this time of year.

"The U.K. Health Security Agency has issued an amber heat health alert covering all of England because of increased health risks for people over 65 and those with heart and lung problems.

" 'Heat can result in serious health outcomes across the population, especially for older adults or those with pre-existing health conditions,' Dr. Agostinho Sousa, head of the UKHSA, said in a statement. 'It is therefore important to check on friends, family and neighbors who are more vulnerable and to take sensible precautions while enjoying the sun.'

"Saturday is expected to be the hottest day of the heat wave, with temperatures falling slightly on Sunday and dropping back into the more normal temperatures next week, the Met Office said. The heat alert is currently scheduled to remain in effect until Monday morning.

"Unusually, temperatures in London this week have been higher than in many parts of Western Europe. That’s because the high temperatures are not the result of hot air moving north from the Iberian Peninsula or North Africa as is often the case, the Met Office said. Instead, this weather system originated in air high over the Atlantic Ocean south of Greenland. As it approaches the U.K., it descends toward ground level, causing it to warm rapidly, Chief Meteorologist Matthew Lenhert said.

"That said, it has been plenty hot in Europe too. Aviation enthusiasts attending the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, north of Paris, this week sought the shade of a Boeing 777’s wing, cooling off as temperatures hovered in the low 30s C (mid-80s F.)

"Met Office scientists this week published research showing that #ClimateChange is increasing the likelihood of extreme high temperatures in the U.K. The chance of temperatures exceeding 40 C (104 F) is now more than 20 times higher than it was in the 1960s, the researchers said."

Source:
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/science/health-officials-issue-warnings-as-uk-bakes-in-the-first-heat-wave-of-2025/

#ExtremeHeat #Heatwaves #Wetbulb #UKWeather #EnglandWx #ExtremeWx #ClimateCrisis #ClimateChangeIsGlobal