UK Sets New May Temperature Records for Second Consecutive Day
The UK record for the hottest May day was surpassed for the second day running, with parts of London experiencing temperatures exceeding 35C on Tuesday.
Kew Gardens in south-west London recorded a provisional temperature of 35.1C, exceeding Monday's record of 34.8C, which was also set at the same location.
Wales similarly broke its May temperature records for the second consecutive day, with provisional temperatures reaching 32.3C at Cardiff's Bute Park, surpassing Monday's 32.2C recorded at Hawarden Airport in Flintshire.
Transport Disruptions Due to Heat
The extreme heat caused delays to train services as speed restrictions were implemented to ensure safety.
Prior to these record-breaking temperatures on Monday and Tuesday, the warmest May day in the UK was 32.8C, recorded in both 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 remain active until Thursday.
The alert indicates that significant impacts are expected across health and social care services due to increased demand caused by the high temperatures.
Much of England and Wales are currently experiencing an official heatwave as of Tuesday. For a heatwave to be declared, a location must reach a threshold temperature—25C for northern and western areas and 28C in London and the Home Counties—for three consecutive days.
This early season heat aligns with the long-term trend of rising temperatures attributed to human-induced climate change.
The Met Office's chief operational meteorologist Dan Suri explained that the high temperatures were caused by "the influence of warmth building under an area of high pressure near the UK."
Rail Network Speed Restrictions and Service Disruptions
Network Rail imposed a series of speed restrictions on tracks to maintain train safety. National Rail explained that heat can cause overhead lines to expand and sag, as well as rails to buckle.
South Western Railway (SWR) warned that train services across its entire network may be cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes, or revised due to heat-related speed restrictions.
High track temperatures also disrupted LNER services between Peterborough and London Kings Cross.
Significant disruptions were reported on the Great Northern, Thameslink, and Southern networks.
Water Supply Issues in Kent
In Kent, dozens of homes have experienced little or no water supply for the third consecutive day.
The outages began on Saturday and peaked on Sunday when approximately 800 properties in the villages of Charing, Challock, and Molash were affected.
South East Water stated that teams are working diligently to restore drinking water supplies across the region following "high demand during the exceptionally hot weather," which led to "storage reservoirs running low in parts of Kent."
Fatalities at Swimming Locations Amid Heatwave
During the bank holiday long weekend, four people died at swimming locations in different parts of England amid the exceptionally warm spring temperatures.
On Monday, a 13-year-old boy died after encountering difficulties in a reservoir in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Later that day, the body of a teenage girl was recovered at Kingsbury Water Park in Warwickshire.
In the early hours of Tuesday, another body was recovered from Rother Valley Country Park in South Yorkshire after a teenage boy went missing.
At Tregirls Beach near Padstow, Cornwall, a man in his 60s died on Monday after entering the sea to assist two relatives who were in difficulty, according to police.
The Royal Life Saving Society has urged the public to exercise caution and warned that "warmer weather unfortunately sees an increase in accidental drownings." It emphasized that although air temperatures are high, water temperatures remain very cold.
Warnings About Cold Water and Thunderstorms
The Met Office also cautioned about the risk of "cold shock" as sea and other open water temperatures remain significantly lower than the heatwave air temperatures.
It shared a map indicating that even in the south-east of England, sea temperatures are approximately 14C.
The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms in England until 22:00 on Tuesday.
These thunderstorms are expected to be very isolated but "could bring disruption to a few places," according to the Met Office.
The warning covers the East Midlands, the east of England, parts of London and the south-east, parts of north-west and south-west England, the West Midlands, and Yorkshire and Humber.
The Met Office added that the warning has a "very low likelihood and a medium impact."
