Britain broke its record for the hottest day in May on Monday, according to the national weather agency, with the mercury rising to 33.5℃ near London as the country suffered a sweltering heatwave.
The previous hottest day in May recorded a temperature of 32.8℃, first recorded in 1922 and again in 1944.
It is just the latest temperature record to fall for the UK, which recorded its hottest year in 2025, and scientists warn the country is unprepared for increasingly frequent heatwaves caused by man-made climate change.
The Met Office had previously forecast highs of 35℃, after heatwave conditions spread to parts of south-east England and London on Sunday night.
“Temperatures at Heathrow recently reached 33.5℃, provisionally breaking the all-time record for May,” the Met Office wrote on social media.
“Records are usually only broken by tenths of a degree, so this heat wave is unprecedented for this time of year,” the weather agency previously added.
Monday is also expected to be the hottest holiday on record.
“We rarely see temperatures above 35℃, even in the summer months, so to see temperatures close to 35℃ in May is, as I say, quite historic,” Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan told the national newspaper. Press Association news agency.
“It's nice to have it, but it's much, much hotter than it should be in the UK,” said Andrea Quaine, a 41-year-old mother. AFP in London when temperatures soared above 30℃ on Sunday.
“I am concerned because it clearly shows that global warming is occurring,” she added.
“The weather here is like a mini version of hell. It's boiling hot. It's very hot. Sunscreen will protect me, but it's very hot,” said Liza Nizari, 10, who was visiting London from Manchester, in the northwest.
Scientists say human-induced climate change is making extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts and floods more intense, causing temperature records to be broken more frequently.
Climate advisers last week warned the UK government that the country was “built for a climate that no longer exists” and urged it to adapt infrastructure such as schools and hospitals to a warming planet.
