Britain ‘hotter than Honolulu’ before thunderstorms roll in

WorldEnvironment
1 May 2026 • 7:25 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Britain ‘hotter than Honolulu’ before thunderstorms roll in

  • Britain is forecast to experience unusually high temperatures on Friday, with parts of the country, particularly the London-East Anglia corridor, potentially reaching 27C, exceeding Honolulu's forecast.
  • These temperatures are approximately 10C above the average for early May, marking the warmest day of the year so far for some regions.
  • The warm weather is attributed to a shift in wind direction, bringing warm air from the south, ending the recent chill on eastern and southern coasts.
  • However, forecasters warn that this early-summer warmth will be short-lived, with heavy rain and thunder anticipated over the May Day bank holiday weekend.
  • The Met Office predicts bright spells and showers for Saturday, followed by a significantly wetter Sunday across most of the country.

IN FULL