Record for hottest ever May day broken after London reaches 33.5℃

The scorching heat sent thousands to their local beach (Picture: Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)

The UK has recorded the all-time hottest temperature for May after parts of London hit 33.5℃.

The record was broken at Heathrow in west London, smashing the current previous benchmark of 32.8°C.

Parts of the UK are expected to get as hot still, with highs of 34C or 35C forecast in the South and South East today and tomorrow.

The bank holiday weekend has already been a scorcher.

The UK is experiencing the hottest day of the year so far (Picture: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)

Sunday saw the country’s highest May temperature recorded in at least 79 years.

Last night was also the warmest May night on record. This is also the hottest bank holiday Monday on record – above the 33.3C seen in August 2019.

Jim NR Dale, a meteorologist with the British Weather Services, told Metro that to see temperatures in the 30s in Spring is ‘unprecedented’.

He said: ”The reasons are an initial waft of hot air out of Africa, then high pressure dominance, with unbroken insolation [sunshine] – and an added element of climate change, of that there’s no doubt.

‘The cold is on its way out and has been for 20 years… 30°C temps used to be an occasional visitor, sometimes not happening at all, even in summer.

‘Now it’s a regular event and +40°C is expected to become an occasional event from now on.’

Brits are flocking to the shade and ice cream vans to cool down (Picture: Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock)

The ‘increased demand’ for water has left around 500 properties in Sussex and Kent with no water or facing water supply issues, South East Water has said.

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A bottled water station has been opened in Challock Village Hall for affected customers.

Conditions for a heatwave have been met in eight parts of England so far today:

• 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
• Writtle in Essex

A heatwave is when it’s hotter than normal, relative to the conditions of a region, for more than three days straight, the Met Office says.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us atwebnews@metro.co.uk.

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