THE UK recorded its hottest May day on Monday after temperatures reached 33.5C near London, according to the national weather agency.
The previous May temperature record was 32.8C, first recorded in 1922 and matched again in 1944.
The latest record comes after the UK recorded its hottest year on record in 2025, with scientists warning that the country is not prepared for more frequent heatwaves linked to climate change caused by human activity.
The Met Office had earlier forecast temperatures of up to 35C after heatwave conditions spread across parts of southeast England and London by Sunday night.
"Temperatures at Heathrow have recently reached 33.5C, provisionally beating the all-time May record," the Met Office said on social media.
"Records are usually only broken by tenths of a degree -- making this heatwave unprecedented for the time of year," the weather agency added earlier.
Monday is also expected to become the hottest bank holiday on record.
"We rarely see temperatures above 35C, even in the summer months, so to see temperatures getting close to 35C in May is, as I say, pretty historic," Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan told the domestic Press Association news agency.
"It's nice to have it, but it is much, much hotter than it should be in the UK," Andrea Quaine, a 41-year-old mother, told AFP in London as temperatures crossed 30C on Sunday.
"I am worried about it because it obviously shows that global warming is happening," she added.
"The weather here, it's like a mini version of hell. It's boiling. It's really hot. The sunscreen will protect me, but it's really hot," said 10-year-old Liza Nizari, who was visiting London from Manchester in northwest England.
Scientists say climate change caused by human activity is increasing the intensity of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts and floods, leading to temperature records being broken more often.
Climate advisers last week warned the UK government that the country was "built for a climate that no longer exists" and urged it to adapt infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, for rising temperatures.
(With inputs from agencies)
