How long will the heatwave last?

Meteorologically speaking, the UK is still in spring. And with temperatures across many parts of the UK ranging from 10 to 15 degrees above normal, this early heatwave is unprecedented. Ed Hawkins, professor of climate science at the University of Reading told the BBC that this heatwave "stands out". Since record-keeping began in the UK, there have only been a handful of years when temperatures reached or exceeded 30C in May. Within this May heatwave however most of England and parts of Wales has seen temperatures soar above 30C for more than a couple of days in places. Values in the mid-30s were once uncommon in the British Isles even at the height of summer. With climate change we've seen average temperatures rise and this means "today's heat events are emerging earlier, intensifying faster and occurring across a much warmer background climate", Prof Hawkins said.