Brits are enjoying unprecedented sunshine over the May bank holiday as authorities report record temperatures for this time of year and warn of dangerously high UV rays.
The heat wave, the Met Office – the UK’s national meteorological service – called “an unusual warm spell in May,” is hitting the whole country, with a high of 35 C expected this week in Lincolnshire, East of England, through the Midlands, the western parts of East Anglia and the London area, said a statement on Monday.
“Temperatures in excess of 30°C are expected from parts of southern England south and west to east Wales,” the ministry added.
The UK rarely sees such scorching heat, especially in spring and even summer, when average temperatures in the south of England tend to stay in the high-teens and mid-20s.
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Monday was the UK’s hottest May day in more than 80 years; the last record was recorded on May 29, 1944, in Camden Square in London and Tunbridge Wells in Kent, and before that, in 1922, when temperatures reached 32.8 C.
In the second half of the 20th century, the UK experienced year-round highs of 35 C or more only once a decade, according to the BBC’s 2025 report.
“Overall, the pattern is clear,” the Met Office wrote. “May 30°C events are rare, usually separated by many years.”
The three warmest springs on record have all occurred since 2017, in a series dating back to 1884, it said.
“Therefore, while the daily limit of 30 ° C in May remains unusual, the temperatures found in spring in general have shown an increasing trend,” said the agency.
The hottest day ever recorded in the UK was July 19, 2022, when temperatures reached 40.3 C. The summer of 2025 was officially the hottest on record in the UK, with an average temperature of 16.10 C, surpassing the previous record of 15.76 C set in 2018.
Meanwhile, in Canada, after a brutal winter, spring has sprung ahead of what could be among the hottest years on record, according to the latest temperature forecast from Environment and Climate Change Canada, driven by the El Niño weather system.
Environment Canada says this phenomenon “can be seen when the surface waters of the eastern Pacific from Ecuador to the west of Ecuador become warmer than normal.”
“Changes in the shape of the Pacific Ocean are causing changes in atmospheric circulation, which has affected the global climate,” and is likely to exacerbate the wildfire season in Canada.
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