Metoffice forecasts rain and cooler air after 35.1C London record
metoffice says cooler temperatures and outbreaks of rain will spread across much of the UK from Sunday, ending a run of unseasonably hot weather. London hit 35.1C at Kew Gardens on Tuesday, the new May record, before cooler Atlantic air cut temperatures to 24C on Sunday after 30C on Saturday.
London and Cardiff records
England and Wales both logged their hottest May days on record for two days in a row. London reached 35.1C at Kew Gardens, or 95.2F, on Tuesday, while Cardiff reached 32.9C at Bute Park.
The heat prompted both amber and yellow heat health alerts for much of England from the UK Health Security Agency. The hot spell also came as at least 14 people died during the weather after getting into difficulties in water.
Rain across the UK
Rain is expected to develop in most parts of the country on Monday, with heavy falls at times in the west of the UK. Tuesday should bring a mix of sunshine and heavy showers, and those showers could include thunder and lightning.
More rain is due on Wednesday, when stronger winds will make it feel cooler. Maximum temperatures are set to range from 15C to 20C by then, well below the heat seen earlier in the week.
Yorkshire search and water warnings
The shift in weather comes after emergency services in Yorkshire said on Sunday that a search was under way for an 11-year-old boy last seen entering the River Don in Mexborough. That search sat alongside fresh warnings about the dangers of swimming in open water, particularly for children.
Separate incidents during the hot weather involved a 15-year-old girl who died in hospital on Saturday after getting into difficulty in the sea off the Merseyside coast on Monday, and a 19-year-old man who died after being recovered from a lake in Nottinghamshire earlier in the week.
For anyone planning time outdoors, the practical change is immediate: the hottest part of the spell has passed, and the next few days bring rain, wind and lower temperatures rather than more heat.
