Mark Poynting
Climate reporter

It can be easy to forget just how quickly the UK’s climate is changing.

Days exceeding 30C (86F) - known as “very hot” days by the Met Office - might feel normal, but they used to be much rarer.

During the last decade, the number of these “very hot” days more than trebled compared with the 1961-1990 average, according to the Met Office.

These temperatures are especially rare in May.

The Met Office says that 30C has been reached in May in only a handful of years since 1900.

And yesterday's provisional high of 34.8C is simply unprecedented in May since records began, smashing the previous high by a full 2C.

The UK’s weather varies a lot naturally, so new records won’t fall every year.

But this early season heat is consistent with the long-term trend of rising temperatures because of human-caused climate change.

Simon King
Lead weather presenter, BBC Weather

For an official heatwave to be declared, a location has to reach a threshold temperature for three days in a row. That's 25C for northern and western areas of the UK up to 28C in London and the Home Counties.

Greater London, Surrey, East and West Sussex and parts of Essex and Suffolk are now up to their fourth or fifth consecutive day.

Elsewhere, with temperatures this afternoon now exceeding the threshold for the third day in a row, we can now confirm that much of England and Wales is in an official heatwave.

Malu Cursino
Live reporter

Image source, Ron Fassbender

An NHS urgent care doctor tells the BBC she's seen an increase in the number of patients being admitted to her east London hospital during the current heatwave.

Dr Lorna Powell, who is also co-director of climate action group Mothers Rise Up, says she and her colleagues are seeing more older patients with complex health needs requiring treatment. These patients can struggle to regulate their body temperatures - making it difficult to stay cool during heatwaves.

Even without other health issues, extreme heat takes a toll on all of us. That's because "your body has to work overtime to keep you cool and maintain a stable core temperature", Powell explains.

We also become dehydrated more easily in high temperatures, and our blood vessels dilate putting an additional strain on the heart.

Higher-than-normal temperatures are becoming more frequent due to human-induced climate change. To mitigate the health impacts, Dr Powell says we should adapt our homes to extreme heat and educate people about how they can stay safe.

Elsewhere, Stuart Crichton, director of 999 operations at London Ambulance Service, told BBC London yesterday was the service's "busiest day in the last 12 months as we get into the amber heat warning".

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers / Jojo

The UK Health Security Agency has issued an amber heat health alert for south-west England, bringing the number of amber alerts during the heatwave to six.

Amber alerts were earlier issued for much of England, including the West Midlands, East Midlands, east of England, south east and London regions, all scheduled to expire at 17:00 on Thursday.

The alert indicates an increase in the likelihood of deaths, particularly among people over 65. It also warns of an increased demand on health and social care services, and demand for power exceeding capacity.

Yellow alerts are also in place for the north east, north west and Yorkshire and the Humber until Thursday.

Elizabeth Rizzini
Lead weather presenter

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers / silverloon

As the intense May heat ramps up again today, we have the latest temperatures in from 12:00.

In Heathrow in London, the temperature has risen to 32.2C.

Meanwhile the weather station at Camborne in Cornwall has just recorded 28.8C, passing not just its May record, but its June highest temperature record too.

It's significant that the June record has been broken, as it is typically warmer in June than in May.

Here are some of the previous records set in Camborne:

• The previous May record was 24.5C in 1990 - but it's been broken for three days straight as of today
• June's previous highest temperature record was 27.7C, set in 2017
• Camborne's all-time maximum temperature is 30.4C

Mark Poynting
Climate reporter

It’s well established that human-caused climate change is making hot weather more likely and more intense.

As humans burn coal, oil and gas and cut down forests, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere.

These gases act like a blanket, causing the planet to heat up.

And even a small increase in average temperatures makes a big difference to heat extremes.

As the range of daily temperatures shifts to warmer levels, hotter days become more likely and more intense.

Since the 1980s, the UK has been warming at about 0.25C per decade – and 2025 was the UK’s hottest year ever recorded, the Met Office says.

Dan Woodland
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It's set to be another exceptionally hot day across much of England and Wales, with forecasts of up to 35C in the south-east, which if reached would beat Monday's May temperature record of 34.8C. Here's what you need to know:

• Five amber heat health alerts covering much of England remain active until Wednesday after being issued by the UK Health Security Agency last week
• The Met Office has also issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms in England from 15:00 BST to 22:00 today, however the BBC's lead weather presenter Simon King says most people will likely be unaffected
• Today could also be the hottest May day on record across the island of Ireland, as temperatures rise towards 30C in Munster and south Leinster
• Want to stay cool? Check out our tips here, and our other post has advice on whether or not you should be wearing shorts in the office
• It won't be as hot for everyone - the north of England and much of Scotland will see slightly lower temperatures today, hovering around 20C.
• A liefsaving charity has issued a warning after three teenagers died in separate incidents after getting into trouble swimming in the UK on Monday. The body of a teenage girl was recovered from a water park in Warwickshire, a 13-year-old boy died in a reservoir in West Yorkshire and another boy died in South Yorkshire
• Meanwhile, in France, seven deaths have been linked to the record warm weather, either directly or indirectly, according to French government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon

We'll continue to bring you the latest as the temperature continues to rise.

The Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) has urged people to stay safe after three teenagers died in separate incidents after getting into trouble at swimming spots in Yorkshire and Warwickshire.

It warned that "warmer weather unfortunately sees an increase in accidental drownings" and while air temperatures are hot, water temperatures remain very cold.

People should stop and think before getting into water as cold water shock can make swimming difficult and increase the difficulty in getting out of the water, RLSS adds.

If you do decide to get in the water, people should follow the Water Safety Code to keep safe and always stay together, the RLSS says.

If you see a person in an emergency you should:

• Call 999 immediately
• Stay out of the water yourself
• Tell them to keep calm and throw something that floats, such as a plastic bottle or football, for them to hold onto and stay afloat while help is on the way

Image source, Getty

Firefighters have worked through the night to tackle a fire in Holyrood Park near Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) says as of 09:00 this morning, two fire appliances remained in attendance to dampen down hot spots.

The fire started in an area of vegetation near the ruins of St Anthony's Chapel on Monday, with the alarm being raised at 18:50 BST.

A fire service spokesperson adds that there are no reported casualties.

It comes as temperatures of 23.5C were recorded in Edinburgh on Monday, but the cause of the blaze is yet to be confirmed.

During hot weather, it’s easy to overheat, which can sometimes lead to heat exhaustion or heatstroke.

Heat exhaustion isn’t usually serious as long as you can cool down. But heatstroke is a medical emergency and needs immediate treatment.

Older adults, young children and people with long-term health conditions are especially at risk.

Here are the symptoms to watch out for:

Charlotte Hadfield
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

As many people head back to the office after the bank holiday, you may have struggled to choose what to wear to keep cool in the warm weather.

When deciding whether it's appropriate to wear shorts to work, personal stylist Sian Clarke, known as Styled by Sian, says people should consider two things - how important comfort is to them and whether they are someone who overheats easily.

"With the emotional and comfort side I would fully support it," Sian tells the BBC.

However, in more traditional workplaces where "you don't want to raise eyebrows" or run the risk of being asked to change, Sian says employees may want to stick to the dress code.

"It comes down to the person and place of work, but I think it's a really modern approach."

Image source, Getty Images

By law, employers have a "duty of care" to make sure working temperatures are reasonable for their staff, according to workplace conciliation service Acas.

While employers are not under any obligation to relax their dress code during hot weather, Acas says "where possible it may be advisable to for employers to relax the rules for wearing ties or suits".

If you want to keep cool at work without wearing shorts, Sian recommends opting for natural fibres, including organic materials which are more breathable, along with loser fitting clothes.

Are you braving bare legs at work? Get in touch at yourvoice@bbc.co.uk, external, external

Kieran Kelly and Maddie Lake
Reporting from Regent's Park

We’re here in Regent's Park speaking to locals and tourists about how they’re coping with the record-breaking heatwave.

Being from Sydney, Vince and Therese Pham, 68 and 64, are used to scorching temperatures, but expected it to be a lot cooler when they arrived last week.

Therese tells us she packed lots of jumpers because she thought it would be “very cold” but has since had to buy “thinner” clothes from the shops.

“I didn’t pack these clothes for London. I left the thick coat at home and thought I’d have to buy one here, but now - no need, no need. We had to buy thinner clothes instead,” she says.

Vince adds: “I just bought tops and shirts.”

Despite the heat, the couple have pressed ahead with their plans, having visited Windsor yesterday, where temperatures peaked at 32C.

Vince says the trains were a bit “stuffy".

"But it’s okay because we live in Australia. It’s even hotter there," he says.

Tuesday could be another record-breaking day in parts of the UK as temperatures climb.

BBC Weather Watchers have been sending us their photos from across the country and we've picked out some of our favourites.

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/Matt

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/Oystermouth Photographer

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/Trippthedog

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/Pia

Matt Taylor
Lead weather presenter, BBC weather

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/George

Last night saw Yorkshire experience its first ever 'tropical night' in spring as provisional readings state the temperature stayed above 20C throughout.

At Emley Moor it didn't get any colder than 20.9C all night.

It doesn't beat the highest overnight temperature though, which was recorded at Kenley and didn't fall below 21.3C, breaking the record for warmest may night - more on that in our earlier post.

Simon King
Lead weather presenter, BBC Weather

It’s mid-morning and already hot out there for many of us.

The highest temperature is in Greater London with almost 30C recorded and we’re nearly two degrees higher than this time yesterday morning.

It’s therefore looking increasingly likely that this afternoon we’ll be close to or even exceeding the May record which was set yesterday of 34.8C.

It's still a cooler picture the further north though, with the Shetland Islands reaching 11C.

Many of us will be trying to cope today with having had a restless night's sleep in the heat. As temperatures rise on the fifth day of sweltering conditions for some, here's how you can stay cool:

Simon King
Lead weather presenter, BBC Weather

While there this a large yellow warning for thunderstorms across the Midlands into southern England from 15:00 BST this afternoon, it’s important to stress that they will be very isolated and most will likely keep the hot and sunny weather.

This means one town may experience a thunderstorm but another town five miles down the road could completely miss it.

Where they do form, the thunderstorm could be particularly heavy with flash flooding, frequent lightning with gusty winds and even hail.

Yes, hail - these balls of ice form high up in the thunderstorm cloud and are a feature of spring and summer weather when there is a lot of energy in the atmosphere.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms in England, in force from 15:00 BST to 22:00 today.

"Isolated intense thunderstorms could bring disruption to a few places," the forecaster says.

The weather bureau says the warning affects the East Midlands, East of England, parts of London and south-east England, parts of north-west England, south-west England, West Midlands, and Yorkshire and Humber.

It adds the warning has a "very low likelihood and a medium impact".

A body has been recovered from a swimming spot in South Yorkshire after a teenage boy went missing after entering the water.

South Yorkshire Police say its officers were called to Rother Valley Country Park at 18:50 BST following reports that the boy had entered the water but was not seen getting out.

In a statement, the force says fire crews and ambulance officers also responded, with a search operation being launched.

"Sadly, in the early hours of this morning, a body was recovered from the water. Whilst formal identification is yet to take place, the boy's family has been informed and is being supported by officers," the statement reads.

The report of the death follows two others at swimming spots in the UK yesterday, including a teenage girl whose body was recovered from the water in Warwickshire, and a 13-year-old boy who died after getting into difficulty while in a reservoir in West Yorkshire.

South Western Railway says "due to the ongoing hot weather" they have cancelled and revised some services to “help minimise any potential disruption”.

This could affect journeys between the following:

• London Waterloo - Winchester - Southampton - Bournemouth - Weymouth
• London Waterloo - Woking - Guildford - Aldershot

Some trains between Exeter St Davids, Salisbury and London Waterloo are starting and finishing at Basingstoke.

Passengers are advised to check their journeys before travelling.

With the hot weather, the company is also reminding passengers to carry water and stay hydrated while travelling.

Image source, PA