London is set for a five-day heatwave spanning the Spring Bank Holiday weekend, with highs of 30C expected in the capital.
The Met Office are reporting expecting temperatures at or above 28C each day between Friday and Tuesday - soaring above the likes of Athens and Ibiza.
A heatwave is officially defined by the Met Office as a period of at least three days when the temperature stays above a certain threshold. In London, this threshold is 28C.
According to Met Office data, there hasn’t been a heatwave in London in May since at least 2009 - and thermometers haven’t topped 30C in May in London since at least 2012.
The rest of the UK is also set for high temperatures, with many areas forecast to be 25C and above, following a period of unsettled conditions and below average temperatures.
The warmer conditions will begin on Friday, with temperatures reaching up to 28C.
This would be the warmest weather of the year so far, comfortably exceeding the 26.6C recorded at Kew Gardens in early April.
Temperatures could then reach 29C in London on Saturday, before peaking around 30C on Sunday.
The Met are currently forecasting 29C and sunny skies for both Bank Holiday Monday and the following Tuesday.
While the sunshine will be strongest in the southeast, conditions are expected to be good throughout the rest of the country, with temperatures in the mid twenties.
According to the Met Office, high pressure coming from the south will be responsible for the fine and dry conditions.
After a cool and damp start to the week for most, temperatures are set to rise ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend. While it won’t be sunshine all week, Friday is still likely to be the warmest day of the year so far.
— Met Office (@metoffice) May 18, 2026
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In their forecast for May 20 to 29, they said: "High pressure is expected to broadly remain the dominant influence across much of the UK, with spells of fine weather.
“Low pressure will be positioned to the north, and will at times allow some rain or showers to cross the country.
"Overall across the period, temperatures are expected to be above normal with winds often light for many."
Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster Tony Wisson said: “The weather later this week will feel like a marked contrast from recent days, with warm, fine and settled weather for many.”
Eddy Leviten, the Executive Director of Tourism Alliance said: "Tourism supports 2.4 million jobs across every region and nation of the UK, and a sunny Bank Holiday makes a real difference to the businesses that depend on visitor spend.
“A warmer, drier weekend should mean busier attractions, fuller hotels, more visitors at heritage sites and coastal resorts, and a welcome boost for towns and cities right across the country.”
