Temperatures will continue to climb throughout the weekend, as forecasters said the “exceptional heat” may break records for the warmest day in May and hottest bank holiday.
The UK saw the hottest day of the year so far on Saturday when the village of Frittenden, in Kent, hit 30.5C.
It was the first time this year that the UK had passed 30C. The last time that happened in May was in 2012.
But temperatures are expected to rise even further on Sunday, with highs of 31C predicted in the South East, and even further on Monday, when potential peaks of between 33C and 34C are possible.
Records could be broken for the hottest May day in the UK and England, currently 32.8C; the hottest May day in Wales, currently 30.6C; as well as the UK and England’s hottest bank holiday, which sits for now at 33.3C.
Saturday also saw holidaymakers trying to get to Europe via the Port of Dover where they faced hours-long queues.
In a bid to ease the waits, the French authorities suspended extra EU border checks under the new entry/exit system (EES).
EES involves people from third-party countries such as the UK having their fingerprints registered and a photograph taken to enter the Schengen Area, which consists of 29 European countries, mainly in the EU.
By Saturday late afternoon, the port said the traffic was “free flowing” on its “peak day of the May half-term getaway weekend”.
Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said there will be “plentiful amounts of sunshine for the vast majority” of people on Sunday, but it looks set to be a damp day in parts of the North West and Scotland.
The MCC, which owns Lord’s, said it has “decided to dispense with the requirement for gentlemen to wear jackets in the pavilion” for two Vitality Blast matches on Sunday.
Most will also see “wall-to-wall blue sunshine” on Monday, Mr Vautrey said.
The meteorologist continued: “That extra sunshine once again allowing those temperatures to climb even further and so now we’re expecting to see around 33C in the far south-east of London but quite broadly a potential for 30C into parts of northern England, areas of Wales and right throughout the Midlands as well.
Heat is building this weekend, exceptionally so for late May 🌡️
— Met Office (@metoffice) May 23, 2026
Several temperature records could be broken:
- UK/England hottest May day (currently 32.8°C)
- Wales hottest May day (currently 30.6°C)
- UK/England hottest bank holiday (currently 33.3°C) pic.twitter.com/OJyiBY5TOL
“If we hit that 33C, maybe even locally close towards 34C, that would bring us our hottest bank holiday day on record, as well as our hottest day in May on record, so it really is quite exceptional heat that is building for the time of year.”
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued amber heat health alerts on Friday morning for the East Midlands, West Midlands, the East of England, London and the South East.
The alerts will remain in place until 5pm on Wednesday and replace less severe yellow alerts, which were previously issued.
The alerts mean there is likely to be “a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions” and increased demand on all health and social care services, according to the UKHSA website.
Yellow alerts have been issued for the North East and North West, Yorkshire and Humber, and the South West.
The less severe alert means significant impacts on health and social care services are possible.
