Areas across the UK are expected to reach highs of 33C to 34C early this week, with much of England already experiencing intense heat over the weekend.
Saturday saw the hottest day of the year so far, with 30.5C recorded in Frittenden, Kent.
Temperatures are expected to rise further, with highs of 31C predicted in the South East on Sunday and even warmer conditions forecast for Monday.
Here is a look back at the weather across the UK during the last 24 hours 🌡️https://t.co/xsMwTiYpHg pic.twitter.com/cOI4kxvB7R
— Met Office (@metoffice) May 23, 2026
UK faces record high temperatures
Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said: “That extra sunshine once again allowing those temperatures to climb even further and so now we’re expecting to see around 33C in the far south-east of London, but quite broadly a potential for 30C into parts of northern England, areas of Wales and right throughout the Midlands as well.
“If we hit that 33C, maybe even locally close towards 34C, that would bring us our hottest bank holiday day on record, as well as our hottest day in May on record, so it really is quite exceptional heat that is building for the time of year.”
Records could be broken for the UK and England’s hottest May day (currently 32.8C), the hottest May day in Wales (30.6C), and the hottest UK and England bank holiday (33.3C).
The warm weather is not universal, however.
Mr Vautrey said there will be “plentiful amounts of sunshine for the vast majority” on Sunday, though parts of the North West and Scotland are likely to see rain.
What is a heatwave?
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued amber heat health alerts on Friday morning for the East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, and the South East, warning of a “rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions” and increased demand for health and social care services.
The amber alerts will remain in place until 5pm on Wednesday and replace the previous yellow alerts.
Yellow alerts remain in place for the North East, North West, Yorkshire and Humber, and the South West, where impacts are expected to be less severe but still significant.
A yellow alert indicates that health and social care services could still be affected.
Are you enjoying the hot weather? Let us know in the comments.
