Amber heat health alerts were issued on Friday for London and several other parts of England as the bank holiday weekend began with the UK’s hottest day of the year so far. Temperatures reached 26.9C at Heathrow in the early afternoon, and forecasters said the heat would build through the weekend.
The alerts cover the East Midlands, West Midlands, the east of England, London and the south-east, and run from 2pm on Friday until 5pm on Wednesday. They were issued as the Met Office warned that 30C was likely on Saturday, 32C on Sunday and as much as 33C on Monday in southern England and the Midlands.
That would make Monday the peak of the spell, and possibly the hottest May day ever recorded in the UK. Forecaster Steve Kocher said temperatures would climb through the weekend, especially in the south, before peaking on Monday. He added that the May and spring temperature records were likely to be broken over the bank holiday, with the forecast expected to move beyond the current mark of 32.8C.
The existing record was set on 29 May 1944, when 32.8C was recorded around parts of London, West Sussex and Kent. If the forecast holds, the new mark would be marginally higher and would come at a time when many people are away from their normal routines, on the road or trying to use the extra day off outdoors.
The amber alerts were issued to warn of possible risks to life, health and social services, along with travel delays and power cuts. The advice to the public is direct: stay hydrated, avoid too much time in direct sunlight, especially between 11am and 3pm, wear sunglasses and avoid alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks where possible. People are also being told to keep windows closed during the day and open them at night.
That guidance matters because the heat is not arriving as a brief afternoon spike. It is expected to hold through several days, with temperatures climbing across the weekend and peaking on Monday, just as London and the wider South prepare for the busiest part of the holiday period. Friday’s reading at Heathrow was already enough to make it the warmest day of the year in Britain, and the next three days are forecast to push harder.
The question now is not whether the weekend will be hot. It is whether the country moves past a record that has stood since wartime Britain. On the forecast now available, the answer is yes.
