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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
PA Reporters

UK breaks May temperature record with sweltering ‘tropical night’

Parts of the UK have sweated through their hottest May night on record, the Met Office said.

The temperature did not fall below 21.3C overnight at Kenley Airfield in south London.

That made it a “tropical night”, when temperatures do not fall below 20C.

The UK’s previous warmest May night was measured on Sunday when temperatures did not fall below 19.4C at Kenley Airfield.

It came after Britain recorded its hottest-ever May day on Monday.

Kew Gardens in southwest London reached 34.8C. The previous all-time May peak was 32.8C, a record set in 1922 and 1944.

Monday brought a record-breaking high of 34.8C at Kew Gardens (PA Wire)
Monday brought a record-breaking high of 34.8C at Kew Gardens (PA Wire)

Meanwhile, the Met Office is warning that more records could be smashed on Tuesday.

Senior Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell said that large swathes of southern England and Wales could see highs of 35C on Tuesday, potentially creeping up to 36C.

These forecasts span the Midlands, south-east and south-west England, East Anglia, and South Wales.

However, afternoon thunderstorms may be sparked, which could affect how hot it ultimately gets.

“So it’s a trickier one to predict the temperatures ... definitely potential for it to be hotter,” Ms Mitchell said.

In Edinburgh, a grass fire broke out near Arthur’s Seat on Monday evening as temperatures rose to 25C.

The fire started in an area of vegetation near the ruins of St Anthony’s Chapel.

Two fire engines remained at the scene at 6.30am on Tuesday.

Smoke rising from a fire close to the ruins of St Anthony's Chapel in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh (PA)
Smoke rising from a fire close to the ruins of St Anthony's Chapel in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh (PA)

Country sizzles over long weekend

Britons flocked to beaches across the country to soak up the sun over the long weekend.

Amid the weekend heat, South East Water apologised and handed out bottled water after about 500 of its customers had issues, including outages and low pressure.

A heatwave was officially declared in eight locations in southeast England, which met the threshold of 27C for three consecutive days of hot weather.

A Met Office spokesperson said: “We rarely see temperatures above 35C, even in the summer months, so to see temperatures getting close to 35 in May is, as I say, pretty historic.”

A series of amber heat health alerts have been issued for the east Midlands, west Midlands, eastern England, London, and the South East.

Officials warned that the hot weather could cause significant impacts across health and social care services, as well as a rise in deaths, with alerts in place until 5pm on 27 May.

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