The UK recorded its hottest May day on record Monday, May 6, 2024, with temperatures in London reaching up to 35.1 °C [1].
This event marks a significant departure from historical norms for the region. The extreme heat triggered amber heat-health alerts across England and Wales as the Met Office monitored the rapid temperature climb.
Measurements taken at Heathrow, Kew Gardens, and Kenley Airfield confirmed the record-breaking nature of the heatwave [1, 2]. While reports varied slightly across different monitoring stations, the highest recorded temperature in London reached 35.1 °C [1]. Other reports noted temperatures of 34.8 °C in west London [2] and 34 °C in other parts of the city [3].
These figures shatter the previous UK May-day record of 32.8 °C, a mark that had stood since 1922 and 1944 [5]. The intensity of the heat was evident even during the night, with Kenley Airfield recording an overnight minimum temperature of 21.3 °C [1].
The heatwave coincided with the Spring Bank Holiday, bringing unusually high temperatures to a period typically characterized by mild spring weather. The Met Office, the national weather service, provided the verified data used to confirm the new record [1, 2].
“The UK recorded its hottest May day on record Monday, May 6, 2024”
The breaking of a record that had remained unchanged since the 1940s suggests a shift in the baseline for spring temperatures in the UK. The necessity of amber heat-health alerts in May indicates that public health infrastructure may need to adapt to extreme heat events occurring earlier in the calendar year than previously expected.
