UK Experiences Consecutive Tropical Nights Amid Record-Breaking May Heat
Temperatures did not drop below 21.3C on Monday night at Kenley airfield in south London, marking another tropical night as the UK broke the record for the highest daily minimum temperature in May for the second day running.
The Met Office confirmed that Monday saw the warmest May day on record since their data collection began, with Kenley airfield maintaining a minimum temperature of 21.3C overnight.
Additionally, the UK recorded a provisional all-time highest meteorological spring temperature when Kew Gardens in south-west London reached 34.8C on Monday. This surpassed the previous May record of 32.8C, which was set in both 1922 and 1944.
The Met Office identified 12 locations across the country where the record was exceeded on Monday, spanning areas from Suffolk to Berkshire and Warwickshire. In total, 97 monitoring sites recorded temperatures of 30C or higher.
The previous warmest May night occurred on Sunday, when temperatures at Kenley airfield did not fall below 19.4C.
“We have provisionally broken the UK record for highest daily minimum temperature in May … again,”
“Temperatures didn’t fall below 21.3C overnight at Kenley airfield, making it a ‘tropical night’ (no lower than 20C),”
“Remarkably, the record was also broken yesterday.”
Greg Dewhurst, senior forecaster at the Met Office, commented on the rapid development of heatwaves, stating,
“In the past, heatwaves built and built and built and built over days and days and days, these now just develop so quickly,”
“...climate change was boosting the heat.”
On Tuesday, temperatures were forecast to reach highs of 35C across large parts of southern England and Wales, with some areas potentially nearing 36C. These forecasts extended to the Midlands, south-east and south-west England, East Anglia, and south Wales.
Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell noted that many locations in England and Wales would meet the heatwave threshold on Tuesday, with some areas having already experienced five consecutive days of heat by Wednesday. She also mentioned the possibility of afternoon thunderstorms, which could impact the high temperatures.
A heatwave in the UK is defined as temperatures meeting or exceeding a specific threshold for three consecutive days. For this time of year, the highest heatwave threshold is 28C, applicable to London and areas north towards Cambridgeshire.
By Sunday evening, eight parts of England had already met these conditions, including Heathrow, Kew Gardens, Northolt in London, and locations in Oxfordshire, Suffolk, and Essex. It was expected that this number would increase following the bank holiday weather, although updated data was pending.
With nearly 100 sites reaching 30C on Monday, Mitchell highlighted the widespread nature of the heatwave, stating,
“It goes to show how many places would have succeeded their heatwave threshold.”
Temperatures are expected to gradually decline from midweek, with largely dry conditions and sunny spells. However, many areas will continue to experience temperatures in the high 20s Celsius.
On Monday evening, a fire broke out in Holyrood Park in Edinburgh near Arthur’s Seat. Emergency services responded to the incident shortly after 6:50pm. The fire originated in vegetation near the ruins of St Anthony’s Chapel.
Firefighters worked through the night to contain the blaze, with two fire engines remaining at the scene as of 6:30am on Tuesday. Smoke was visible rising from the area, and local residents were advised to keep windows and doors closed as a precaution.
Across Europe, the heatwave continued to intensify, with Spain and France expected to set new temperature highs on Tuesday.
