UK’s hottest May day record broken for second day in a row

Desk report: The UK record for the hottest May day has been broken for a second day in a row, as parts of London surpassed 35C on Tuesday.

Kew Gardens in south-west London recorded a provisional temperature of 35.1C, beating Monday’s 34.8C record-high in the same place.

Wales also broke May records for the second consecutive day, as provisional temperatures reached 32.3C at Cardiff’s Bute Park, surpassing Monday’s 32.2C at Hawarden Airport in Flintshire.

The soaring temperatures led to delays to train services due to speed restrictions put in place because of the heat.

Before Monday and Tuesday’s record-breaking highs, May’s warmest day in the UK was 32.8C in 1922 and 1944.

“Until yesterday, the highest temperature in May was 32.8C, but we’ve now exceeded that record on consecutive days by a full two degrees Celsius,” the Met Office posted on X.

Six amber heat health alerts issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) cover much of England and will be active until Thursday.

The alert warns that significant impacts are likely across health and social care services with increased demand caused by the high temperatures.

Much of England and Wales are in an official heatwave as of Tuesday. A location has to reach a threshold temperature – 25C for northern and western areas and 28C in London and Home Counties – for three days in a row.

This early season heat is consistent with the long-term trend of rising temperatures because of human-caused climate change.

The Met Office’s chief operational meteorologist Dan Suri also said the high temperatures were due to “the influence of warmth building under an area of high pressure near the UK.”

Network Rail imposed a series of speed restrictions on tracks to keep trains safe. National Rail said heat can see overhead lines to expand and sag and cause rails to buckle.