The hottest May day on record has been recorded in Britain. According to the Met Office, temperatures at Heathrow Airport in London reached 33.5C.
The previous record was set on May 29, 1944, when the mercury in Regent's Park in London and two other locations in England reached 32.9C. However, meteorologists warn that the rise in temperatures is unlikely to stop today and do not rule out reaching 35C in Lincolnshire in northern England, as well as in London. A similar heatwave is expected on May 26, after which temperatures will cool slightly but remain around 30 degrees Celsius until the end of the week.
Today is a public holiday in the UK - May Bank Holiday. Many people are escaping the heat in parks or heading to the sea. However, the Met Office advises extreme caution, as the North Sea has not yet warmed up to its already modest summer temperatures. For example, the water temperature off the coast of Scotland on May 25 did not exceed 9°C, while in southeast England it was 13°C.
The all-time record was set on July 19, 2022, when the temperature exceeded 40°C for the first time in the recorded history of the United Kingdom. This happened in the town of Coningsby in Lincolnshire (40.3°C).