The UK has been enjoying warm weather across the country, as ITV News’ Chloe Keedy explains.
Today is officially the hottest day of the year so far in the UK, with the highest temperature of 34.8C recorded in Cambridge.
The Met Office said this is only the 11th year since 1961 that temperatures this high have been recorded – with six of those years being recorded in the last decade.
High-pressure winds drawing in warm air from Europe caused temperatures to climb on Sunday and remain high on Monday, but they are expected to return to average levels on Tuesday, the Met Office said.
On Monday afternoon the Met Office posted on social media: “It’s been the hottest day of 2024 so far with 34.8°C recorded in Cambridge today.
“Provisionally this is only the 11th year since 1961 temperatures as high as this have been recorded.
“8 of those years have been since 2000 and 6 of them have been in the last decade.”
Temperatures this year have so far not exceeded the 40.3C recorded at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on July 19, 2022 – the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK, according to forecasters.
Before Monday, the hottest day of 2024 had been Friday, July 19 when temperatures reached 31.9C in central London.
Research has shown that such hot weather can be extremely dangerous for vulnerable people.
Figures from the Warm This Winter campaign reveal that 4.5 million people (8% of the population) have been so hot in their home that it has made them unwell in the last 12 months.
The Met Office recommends that people keep curtains closed during the peak of the day and drink lots of water.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, said any older person living with health conditions should stay as cool as they can and advised friends and neighbours to offer help with picking up prescriptions or groceries.
She said: “Ageing bodies find it difficult to deal with extremes of temperature, so even if you are someone who has always loved the heat this doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll find a day like today as pleasant and easy to deal with as you used to.
“It pays to know your own body and to stay in touch with it as it changes over the years, but certainly if you are living with serious heart or lung conditions then it’s important to avoid getting too hot.
“There are some simple tips we can follow to stay safe and well in the heat but for most of us it’s largely a matter of exercising common sense.”
Thunderstorms and torrential downpours affected parts of Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England on Monday morning but were clearing into the North Sea by the early afternoon, with a yellow weather warning ending at 1pm.
Forecaster Craig Snell said: “Although we probably won’t see that severe weather across the south, that system will gradually bring some cooler temperatures to all parts as we go through Tuesday and Wednesday, with highs back up to the high 20s rather than mid 30s.”
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