May heat records could be broken by nearly 3C, to hit 35C this bank holiday, the day after the UK had the month’s highest temperature in at least 79 years.
Temperature records are usually broken tenths of a degree, not several degrees.
Sunday brought a record-breaking high of 32.3C at Kew Gardens, south-west London, and the warmest May night since 1944.
Yet parts of the south and south-east could hit 34C or 35C on Monday and Tuesday as heatwaves continue.
We’ve provisionally recorded the UK’s highest daily minimum temperature for May on record 🌡️
Temperatures didn’t fall below 19.4°C at Kenley Airfield overnight, provisionally breaking the previous May record of 18.9°C set back in 1944 pic.twitter.com/r7A2hT6G2F
Last week there were lows of minus 5C in Scotland and daytime temperatures more widely peaked at about 14C to 15C.
“We see these changes happening so much more dramatically”, senior Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said, adding that climate change is boosting the heat.
“In the past, heatwaves built and built and built and built over days and days and days – these now just develop so quickly.
“It’s huge sort of swinging temperatures, and obviously records being broken by day and by night, so it just shows sort of how extreme the weather can change, and how quickly it can change as well.”
Today will be the hottest day in May in the UK in our temperature records, with highs of 35 degrees Celsius expected📈
— Met Office (@metoffice) May 25, 2026
The current May record is 32.8 °C. Records are usually only broken by tenths of a degree - making this heatwave unprecedented for the time of year 🌡️ pic.twitter.com/7XBdqJ7f38
As a result of climate change, all meteorological models are predicting “more extreme heat, more extreme weather events” and “hotter, drier summers – wetter, windier winters”, he added.
The Met Office has said heatwave conditions were met in eight parts of England on Sunday – Heathrow in Greater London, Benson in Oxfordshire, Brooms Barn in Suffolk, High Beech in Essex, Kew Gardens in London, Northolt in London, Santon Downham in Suffolk and Writtle in Essex.
Wales and Northern Ireland also reached 2026 record temperatures of 27.4C in Cardiff and 23.4C in Armagh on Sunday.
The UK’s warmest May night was recorded on Sunday when temperatures did not fall below 19.4C at Kenley Airfield, Surrey.
The month’s previous record was 18.9C in 1944.
The heat is closer to what would be expected in late June and into July, Mr Dewhurst added.
Most of the UK is expected to have very hot, unbroken sunshine during the bank holiday.
Temperatures will widely reach the high 20Cs and low 30Cs, followed by a warm night.
The highest temperatures are expected in parts of the Midlands, East Anglia, London and Bristol.
Clouds are forecast in north-west Scotland but they will be cleared by outbreaks of rain, and some will drift across Northern Ireland and southern Scotland.
Tuesday might be cooler along England’s north-east coast but it will be hot again for most.
Northern Ireland and Scotland will have sunny spells too with temperatures potentially reaching 26C to 27C.
The day’s heat could spark some thunderstorms in parts of England on Tuesday evening.
Temperatures will start to gradually decline from the middle of the week but it will still be largely dry with sunny spells.
Highs on Wednesday and Thursday in England and Wales are predicted to be about 30C to 31C, dipping to about 29C to 30C on Friday.
There is a risk of a few showers at the end of each day from Wednesday onwards but most areas will be dry.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued its first amber health alert of 2026 on Friday, warning that there is a risk of a significant impact across health and social care services. The alert will remain in place until Wednesday.
The heat is considered to be dangerous for some vulnerable groups including older adults as their bodies struggle to regulate temperature.
Age UK recommended staying inside during the hottest hours of the day, between 11am and 3pm, and having regular cold baths or showers.
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