The United Kingdom recorded its highest ever May temperature on Monday, as a severe heatwave swept across western Europe.
Provisional data from the Met Office showed a temperature of 33.5C at London's Heathrow during lunchtime.
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The previous May record was set in Camden Square in 1922 and later matched in Tunbridge Wells and Regent's Park in 1944.
The Met Office attributed the extreme heat to a high-pressure system over the country, causing air to sink, compress, and heat up.
The heatwave is expected to last throughout the week, with temperatures peaking at 35C on Tuesday before dropping to 31C on Wednesday and 30C on Thursday.
Overnight conditions also broke records on Sunday, when Kenley airfield recorded a low of 19.4C, the UK's highest minimum temperature for May.
Health Risks and Adaptation Urgency
While the warm weather coincides with a bank holiday weekend, climate experts warn that rising temperatures will likely exacerbate illnesses and elevate mortality rates.
The high temperatures place severe stress on the human body, and abnormally warm nights prevent proper rest.
Officials have issued amber heat health alerts, indicating a potential risk to life for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, pregnant individuals, and the sick.
The UK government's Climate Change Committee previously noted that simple measures like closing curtains, opening windows, and planting trees for shade would likely be insufficient against rising temperatures.
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The committee recommended mandatory air conditioning installations in all care homes and hospitals within 10 years, and in schools within 25 years, alongside establishing maximum indoor and outdoor working temperatures.
Climate researchers emphasized that the current heatwave serves as an indicator of broader environmental shifts.
"The record-breaking heat is a reminder of how climate change is impacting our lives in the UK.
It highlights the urgency of recent calls for heat adaptation," said Dr Chloe Brimicombe, Climate Researcher at the University of Oxford.
Analysts from environmental thinktanks tied the record temperatures to global carbon pollution and warned of compounding climate factors later in the year.
"Scientists are clear that cutting those emissions to net zero is the only way to halt climate change and limit the danger.
But we also know we’ve got more extreme heat coming this year if, as expected, El Niño joins forces with climate change to break more heat records," said Gareth Redmond-King, Representative of the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit.
Redmond-King noted that proactive adaptation is essential for mitigating the economic and physical fallout of extreme weather events.
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"The Climate Change Committee was clear last week that alongside cutting emissions to net zero, adapting to our already warmed climate is far less costly than dealing with its ever more dangerous impacts," added Redmond-King.
