UK sees hottest day of 2025 as heatwave peaks
The UK experienced its hottest day of the year on Tuesday as a heatwave which has gripped much of England this week reached its peak.
Writtle in Essex saw a temperature of 33.9C (93F), making it the hottest day of the year so far and prompting the UK Health Security Agency to issue a series of warnings that services could come under strain in several regions.
Provisional Met Office figures suggest last month was the warmest June in England and second warmest in the UK since records began in 1884.
Conditions for most north of the Midlands were cool and cloudy on Tuesday, and forecasters say temperatures are set to fall sharply on Wednesday, bringing the heatwave to an end.
In the south, temperatures are expected to drop down to the mid-20s after another warm night, and heavy showers are forecast for eastern parts of the UK.
Flood alerts have been issued for parts of northern and central Scotland.
Other high temperatures recorded on Tuesday include 33.8C in East Malling, Kent, and 33.6C in London’s St James’s Park.
It came as Europe remained gripped by an intense heatwave, with France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and the Balkans all experiencing scorching heat in recent days.
The average temperature across England was 16.9C throughout June and 15.2C for the UK, according to the Met Office.
That tops June 2023, when the mean temperature was 16.7C – and it comes after the Met Office previously confirmed this spring was the warmest ever.
Little significant heat-related disruption was reported on Tuesday – but in the Scottish Highlands and neighbouring Moray, firefighters tackled moorland wildfires for a fourth day in a row.
This week marked the second UK heatwave of 2025. It lasted six days for parts of Yorkshire and the Humber, and five for people in central and eastern England.
An official heatwave is declared when locations reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days.
The thresholds vary from 25C to 28C in different parts of the country.
While this heatwave is a result of a large area of high pressure getting “stuck” over Europe – dubbed a “heat dome” by some – high temperatures are becoming increasingly common in the UK.
Scientists have emphasised the role of climate change in these sizzling summers, saying that heatwaves will likely become more frequent and hotter in the future.
