Keep those fans running and stay in the shade – it’s officially the hottest day of 2025 so far.
UK temperatures have skyrocketed yet again today, in another record-breaking heatwave. A temperature of 33.6°C was recorded around 11.19 am this morning in Frittenden, Kent.
Temperatures in Heathrow have reached 33.2°C today, and the mercury is still climbing, set to hit 36°C in some areas after yesterday’s heat prompted Wimbledon to advise attendees not to travel.
Amber health alerts are in place across much of the UK, with Yorkshire, the East Midlands, the West Midlands, the East of England, London, the South East, and the South West all under warnings.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill warned that the weather in the UK is split three ways: boiling heat, showers in the South West and Wales, and dry conditions in Scotland.
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‘With all that sunshine, with all the hot weather that we’ve had recently, the heat’s going to continue to build [and] temperatures are going to rise a little bit higher,’ he said.
‘Towards the South East, many places high 20s, low 30s, but there’s potential that we could be looking at around 34, 35, maybe even 36C.’
Where in the UK will be hottest today – and when will the heatwave end?
In London, temperatures could hit as high 34C – making the capital by far the hottest in the UK today.
In Manchester, the Mercury will reach 22C, but things cool off in Scotland, where it will be a balmy (by comparison) 19C in Glasgow.
The heatwave will dissipate by later this week, when showers move in across part of the country – a welcome relief.
How do the temperatures compare with the rest of Europe?
Pretty similar – though Spain and Italy’s scorcher is set to top 42C.
Spain, Portugal, Greece and France have all issued extreme heat, wildfire and health warnings.
Several Italian regions, including Sicily and Liguria, have introduced bans on outdoor work during the hottest hours of the day.
The heatwave follows a series of extreme-heat records, including Europe’s hottest March ever, according to the EU’s Copernicus climate monitor.
Flooding and wildfires swept the continent last week. The Greek island of Chios, which is the fifth largest in the country, was ravaged by blazes that tore through 11,000 acres of bush and pasture land.
What’s the hottest the UK has ever been?
Since 1960, UK temperatures in June have surpassed 34°C in only three years, with the hottest being 35.6°C, recorded on June 28, 1976, during the hottest and longest heatwave ever recorded.
An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25°C to 28°C in different parts of the UK.
The weather this week has been compared to the heatwave of 1976, when some places in the UK went 45 days without rain.
There was a ban on hosepipes, and people were encouraged to shower only to avoid wasting water with baths.
Traflagar Square fountains and Hampstead Heath ponds were filled to the brim as Londoners tried to cool off.
While 1976 was certainly one of the longest heatwaves the UK has faced, summers since have seen new records.
2022 saw record temperatures, with the mercury topping 40°C for the first time in UK history, as predicted by forecasters.
Heatwaves were declared across England and Wales, with a temperature of 32.2°C recorded in Kew, west London.
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