Britain just can’t stop sweating. For the second consecutive day, the UK has shattered its record for the hottest May day ever measured, with temperatures climbing to a scorching 35.1°C at Kew Gardens in south-west London on Wednesday, according to provisional Met Office figures.
Tuesday had already sent meteorologists reaching for the record books when the mercury nudged past the previous May benchmark. Wednesday then went and did it again. Back-to-back records in 48 hours isn’t just unusual; it’s the kind of thing climate scientists have been quietly warning about for years.
For Londoners, the heat has been impossible to ignore. Lido queues snaked around the block before 9am, office workers abandoned any pretence of productivity, and the Tube became the particular kind of underground sauna that makes you question every life decision that led you to living in the capital.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” said one Kew Gardens visitor, fanning herself with a map of the botanical grounds. “I love the sunshine, but this doesn’t feel like England anymore.”
She’s not wrong to feel unsettled. The previous record for May had stood for decades. The fact that it’s now been broken twice in a row suggests this isn’t just a quirky one-off, but part of a broader pattern of intensifying heat events across the UK.
The Met Office confirmed the 35.1°C reading is provisional, pending full verification, but few expect it to change. Kew Gardens has long been one of the UK’s most reliably warm spots, sheltered and urban, and it tends to capture peak temperatures with uncomfortable accuracy.
Health officials have urged people to stay hydrated, avoid the midday sun, and check on elderly neighbours. Hospitals across London and the South East reported increased attendances linked to heat-related illness, while Network Rail issued speed restrictions on several lines to prevent track buckling.
Temperatures are forecast to ease slightly by the weekend as Atlantic cloud pushes in from the west. But with summer still weeks away officially, the question now isn’t whether the UK will see more record-breaking heat this year. It’s how many more records are left to break.
