UK heatwave expected as temperatures near record highs for May

A heatwave is expected to be declared in parts of the UK on Sunday, with temperatures nearing May records. The Met Office said readings at Heathrow at midday on Sunday showed temperatures had reached 28C (82F) across three consecutive days – the threshold for declaring a heatwave. A temperature of 30.5C (86.9F) was recorded at Frittenden in Kent on Saturday – the highest of the year so far. Temperatures are expected to rise again on Sunday, with highs of 31C predicted in the south-east, and further on Monday, when peaks of between 33C and 34C are possible. The climate crisis is increasing the likelihood of extreme heat. Large parts of western Europe are experiencing similar peaks, with Météo-France, the French national weather forecaster, warning periods of exceptional heat are expected to come “more and more often and more and more prematurely, and to be more and more intense”. A Met Office spokesperson said: “Breaking the 32.8C May record is around three times more likely now in our current climate than it would have been in natural climate conditions before the Industrial Revolution. “What was around a one-in-100-year event is now around a one-in-33-year event.” Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said there will be “plentiful amounts of sunshine” in many parts of the UK on Sunday, bringing temperatures upwards of 30C. …