'Scorcher' It's the hottest day of May in Lancashire and official hottest day on record in UK
Safe to say it’s a hot one today but here’s what is happening next.
Today is an ‘absolute scorcher’ in Lancashire with highs of 30 degrees after a seriously sweaty night. UK-wise it’s officially the hottest May day since records began.
Meanwhile, the Met Office has extended a yellow alert for the North West with heat warnings and it may feel even warmer.
Temperatures are likely to dip somewhat, according the Met Office, with high of around 23 degrees tomorrow. But the sun will still be very strong for the next few days, however, and it will be very hot and more humid.
Today UV levels are rated as ‘High’ with advice to seeks shade, cover up and wear sunscreen. Humidity levels have highs of 75 per cent so it feels even warmer with not much in the way of cooling winds.
Want the latest Lancashire news straight to your phone? Join our WhatsApp channel
Tomorrow, despite a slight dip, advice remains the same though there is more chance of a breeze and humidity is forecast even higher than today, with highs of 77 per cent. We’ll all need to drink lots of water, that UV is still high as well.
Despite the odd cloud, Thursday looks hotter than Wednesday, with high of 26 degrees and an astonishing 85% humidity. You’ll need the fan.
Friday brings more cloud and a slightly cooler outlook at 19 degrees with sunny intervals. There may even be some showers.
And the weekend will remain warm but more more mixed with rain and cloud and highs of 19-20 degrees. So more manageable in temperature, but the humidity is the highest at 90 per cent.
The national picture
During Bank Holiday Monday the UK experienced its provisional all-time hottest meteorological spring temperature on record when Kew Gardens in south-west London hit 34.8C.
The Met Office listed 12 locations where the record was topped on Monday – ranging from Suffolk to Berkshire to Warwickshire – while 97 of its monitoring sites reached or surpassed 30C.
The UK’s previous warmest May night was measured on Sunday, when temperatures did not fall below 19.4C at Kenley Airfield.
Meanwhile, the hottest May temperature could be broken again on Tuesday with an expected high of 35C across large swathes of southern England and Wales – which could even creep up to 36C, the Met Office said.
Those forecasts span the Midlands, the South East, South West, East Anglia and South Wales.
To qualify as a heatwave, temperatures must meet or surpass a specific threshold for three consecutive days.
The highest heatwave threshold in the UK at this time of year is 28C, which applies to London and north of the capital towards Cambridgeshire.