Cliff Notes
- Forecasters predict continued hot and humid conditions across southern England, with temperatures potentially reaching 34°C today.
- The UK experienced its warmest Wimbledon tournament start ever, with temperatures hitting 29.7°C, surpassing the previous record.
- An “heat dome” stretching across much of Europe is contributing to these extreme temperatures, while amber weather alerts are in place for multiple UK regions.
Heatwave live: Temperatures could ‘maybe’ hit 36C today, forecaster says | 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 on record was in 1976 at 35.6C, followed by 34.5C in 2017 and 34.0C in 2019 – so, hot as it was, yesterday was some way off that.
But today could get towards those levels, 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 tennis 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 it will still be hotter in the South East than the rest of the country.
Here’s what else you need to know 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.
