Cliff Notes
- The UK is experiencing a heatwave, with temperatures possibly reaching 34C, following a record high of 33.1C recorded at Heathrow yesterday.
- Most of Europe is under a “heat dome”, affecting southern and eastern England, while amber alerts have been issued across various UK regions for high temperatures.
- Jersey recorded its hottest June day on record at 33.4C, while large wildfires are ongoing in Scotland, prompting firefighting efforts.
Heatwave live: Health alert extended to more areas; record-breaking day for Wimbledon | UK News
Welcome back to our weather coverage on what could be an even hotter day than yesterday.
Forecasters expect it will be hot and humid during the day in the south again, so brace yourself for more heat if this is where you’ll be.
Yesterday, the highest temperature reached in the UK was recorded at London‘s Heathrow, where mercury levels hit 33.1C – this was just 0.1C off the highest temperature of the year so far.
The hottest day of the year so far was 33.2C and it was recorded on 21 June in Charlwood, Surrey.
And the hottest June day was in 1976 at 35.6C, followed by 34.5C in 2017 and 34.0C in 2019.
But today could get towards that, with temperatures of at least 34C forecast by the Met Office.
And there was a record that was broken yesterday – it was the warmest start to a Wimbledon tournament ever, with a temperature of 29.7C that was recorded at nearby Kew Gardens, which is higher than the previous Wimbledon opening high of 29.3C.
So what’s going on with our weather?
Well, most of Europe is right now baking in a so-called “heat dome”, which is scorching Spain, France, Italy, Greece and beyond.
The UK sits just on the cusp of the dome and that means the same high pressure bringing plus 40C temperatures to southern Europe is also roasting southern and eastern England.
That’s set to continue today but Wednesday will bring nearer average temperatures, although still higher in the South East.
Here are the other key lines this morning:
- Jersey saw its hottest day in June on record yesterday, with a maximum temperature of 33.4C;
- Large wildfires continued to rage through parts of Scotland. Firefighters said they were working to control fires near Carrbridge and Dava, in the Scottish Highlands;
- The UKHSA and Met Office issued amber alerts to the following areas: West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber regions, East Midlands, South East, South West, London and East of England.
