An intense spell of unusual May heat across the United Kingdom is expected to trigger an official heatwave declaration in multiple regions on Sunday, May 24, 2026.
The Met Office forecast indicated that national temperature records could fall during the bank holiday weekend as the heat intensifies across England and Wales.
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The rising temperatures follow a peak of 30.5°C recorded at Frittenden in Kent on Saturday.
According to the Met Office, this measurement marked the highest temperature of the year so far and the first time the United Kingdom has reached the 30°C threshold in May since 2012.
Forecasters predicted afternoon temperatures would reach 31°C in the south and around 26°C in the north on Sunday.
Meteorologists noted that high pressure will remain dominant throughout the holiday weekend.
The current all-time UK temperature record for May stands at 32.8°C, which was previously logged at Camden Square in 1922, as well as in Horsham, Tunbridge Wells, and Central London in 1944.
Current forecasts show the possibility of exceeding 33°C in parts of south-east England, while night-time temperatures could surpass the historical May record of 18.9°C set at Folkestone in 1947.
Weather Patterns and Health Alerts
Senior meteorologist at the Met Office, Greg Dewhurst, provided specific details on the atmospheric conditions to the Press Association.
"High pressure will dominate through the whole of the bank holiday weekend," said Dewhurst.
The meteorologist explained that England and Wales would experience consecutive days of hot conditions while northern regions would see contrasting weather.
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"Plenty of very warm sunshine across England and Wales each day," said Dewhurst.
He added that the hot weather would not encompass all areas of the country equally.
"Scotland and Northern Ireland will see more cloud at times, with a few showers across north-west Scotland," said Dewhurst.
The UK Health Security Agency issued amber heat-health alerts for the East Midlands, West Midlands, the east of England, London, and the south-east.
These alerts will remain active until 5 p. m.
on Wednesday, replacing previous yellow alerts due to the increased risk of mortality among vulnerable populations aged 65 and over.
Meanwhile, yellow alerts cover the north-east, north-west, Yorkshire and Humber, and the south-west of England.
According to the Met Office's State of the UK Climate report, climate change has influenced the frequency of these hot spells.
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Data from the most recent decade shows that days exceeding 28°C have more than doubled, and days topping 30°C have more than trebled compared to the 1961-1990 average.
