Highlights:
- Wales records hottest August bank holiday temperature at 29.6C.
- Northern Ireland also breaks bank holiday record with 24.5C.
- Notting Hill Carnival revellers enjoy 28C in London.
- Remnants of Hurricane Erin to bring wet and windy weather this week.
- UK set for one of its hottest summers on record, despite harvest concerns.
Hottest bank holiday on record
Parts of the UK have experienced record-breaking August bank holiday heat, with Wales and Northern Ireland both seeing their highest-ever temperatures for the holiday.
Hawarden, on the Welsh border near Chester, reached 29.6C, the highest August bank holiday temperature recorded in Wales. In Northern Ireland, Magilligan saw 24.5C, setting a new benchmark.
England’s peak came in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, at 29.3C, while London basked in highs of 28C during the Notting Hill Carnival. Scotland, which did not observe the bank holiday, saw its warmest temperature at 27.1C in Charterhall, in the Borders.
Change in weather on the way
The Met Office confirmed that this summer is already tracking among the UK’s hottest on record, with four heatwaves declared. However, the heat will be short-lived.
The remnants of Hurricane Erin are expected to sweep across the country, bringing wet and windy conditions. By late Monday, Northern Ireland and Scotland’s Western Isles were forecast to see winds of up to 40mph, with heavy rain following into England and Wales.
Cooler days ahead
While East Anglia and the South East may still reach 27C on Tuesday, forecasters predict a sharp drop by Friday, with temperatures expected between 16C and 19C.
The unsettled weather should bring much-needed rain after an exceptionally dry summer. South Farnborough in Hampshire, for instance, has recorded no measurable rainfall this month, and much of southern England has seen less than 1mm.
Wider impact of extreme weather
The prolonged dry conditions have caused significant strain on agriculture, with experts warning the UK could be heading towards one of its poorest harvests on record. The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board has noted hosepipe bans for millions, some expected to remain in place through winter.
Scientists caution that while linking climate change to individual events is complex, the succession of four heatwaves following an unusually warm spring suggests global warming is amplifying the intensity, frequency, and duration of hot spells in the UK.
