Britain is officially sizzling as the Met Office reveals the mercury has hit 37.8c making it the third hottest day since records began
The Met Office said Friday is "the hottest day of the year by some way" as temperatures reached 37.8C at Heathrow Airport and 37.3 °C at Kew Gardens.
Beaches have been rammed today, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces fresh lockdown measures.
Bournemouth beach - which was the scene of chaos at the end of June - is packed as sunseekers make the most of the mini heatwave.
The UK is hotter than Ibiza as the 500 mile-wide "Spanish Plume" brings continental heat sweeping across the country.
Public Health England's Heatwave Plan warned "tarmac roads may begin to melt" at temperatures beyond 33C.
The Met Office added: "Cooler air is arriving for the weekend as this cold front sweeps the UK in the next 24 hours .
"Temperatures will be back closer to average tomorrow, but it will still pretty warm in the southeast.
"This afternoon will see cloud increasing in the west and the risk of thunderstorms in the east."
Lockdown easing measures have been put on hold and the government is urging people to maintain social distancing.
Police are patrolling beaches to ensure rules are being stuck to.
But there could be travel disruption for Brits heading for the coast.
And there is the possibility of thunderstorms later in the evening.
So far this month, the highest maximum temperature recorded was 28.5C on July 17 at Heathrow Airport.
The UK has already surpassed 100% of the average monthly rainfall and only experienced two thirds (66%) of the expected sunshine for an average July, a total of 113.4 hours, Met Office figures show.
A Met Office spokesperson said previously: "We've not seen a temperature anywhere above 30 so far or even with a three in it, that is quite unusual for July."
Tesco predicted selling a BBQ and beer rush, with projected sales of almost a million sausages, half a million burgers and five million bottles and cans of beer.
Meanwhile, officials in Bournemouth are reporting roads are gridlocked in the Desort resort, with an app to help with social distancing on beaches showing red in three areas.
Major incidents had to be declared at beaches during June's heatwave, as sunbathers amassed huge crowds in breach of social distancing guidelines.
Dorset Police said officers would be working longer shifts and some of them had their rest days cancelled in order to deal with the influx.
By 11am, traffic marshals were already turning people away from Sandbanks car park as residents urged the council to close the road.
Other parts of the country have also announced overcrowding on many beaches.
In Kent, Thanet Council warned many popular beaches were nearing capacity today.
This afternoon, Brighton & Hove City Council warned about the number of people in the city, urging those not already there to stay away.
"There is limited capacity on public transport," it said in a statement, adding the large numbers made it impossible to maintain social distancing.
Yvonne Jones, 66, who has been a beach hut holder in Poole for 35 years, told the BBC: "There shouldn't be this many people here - but Boris should have made sure people stayed in their own counties.
"The traffic is horrendous - I live locally and it was a nightmare to get here.
"It's the locals who end up suffering."
Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council leader Vikki Slade said towns were ready to welcome visitors "with open arms" but had deployed marshals at car parks as well as extra security officers, first aiders and extra traffic management systems.
Last month, there was a major incident on Bournemouth Beach, with police reporting fights, overnight camping, and a triple stabbing in an attack near the pier.
Today, Southeastern Railway warned trains bound for the Kent coast via Faversham were very busy, making social distancing almost impossible.
Thanet Council urged people thinking of heading to Joss Bay, Botany Bay and Viking Bay in Broadstairs to reconsider.
Sun worshippers were also begged to avoid Camber Sands in East Sussex where Rother District Council said car parks were full.
The Met Office said of today's temperatures: "In terms of shifting the overall weather stats for the month, it's not going to do much to the average."
August, meanwhile, looks to be starting very a similarly unsettled manner.
The Met Office's long range report says: "There are some fairly strong signals that unsettled conditions are likely to continue through into the first half of August, with outbreaks of rain and scattered showers affecting all parts of the United Kingdom at times."
A spokesman for the Met added that popular south-coast destinations such as Devon and Cornwall will stay "fresher", with temperatures peaking in the mid 20s, and sunseekers in Brighton will enjoy a pleasant 28C high.
But the good weather is expected to be short-lived and will not extend into the three-day "heatwave territory".
Northern Ireland will be caught by a slow moving weather front on Friday, keeping temperatures at a balmy 22C, that will go on to cool the rest of the UK on Saturday.
