Temperatures set to cool after hottest day of the year so far

Temperatures across the UK are set to cool off in coming days after the country saw the hottest day of the year so far.

On Monday, temperatures reached 34.8C (95F) in Cambridge, beating out the previous record for 2024’s hottest day of 31.9C (89F) in central London, back in July.

But, the Met Office has said that the heat in the south and east is set to be replaced by a “westerly airflow” which could bring showers, longer spells of rain and cooler temperatures closer to the average for this time of year.

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Alongside that, it will also be particularly windy in places, especially in “parts of the west”.

A yellow heat health alert remains in force until 9am on Wednesday for the East and West Midlands, east of England, South East, South West, North West and London.

Warm conditions in the far east and southeast of England are expected to linger on Tuesday, where temperatures could reach 27C (80F) or 29C (84F), according to the Met Office.

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But elsewhere the weather will cool as a band of rain moves in from the Atlantic, the forecaster said.

The northwest of England could see heavier rain on Wednesday evening and into Thursday, with “relatively high rainfall totals possible”.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Chris Bulmer said: “The UK’s weather is transitioning to a less warm, rather more unsettled period in the coming days, though those in the South East will keep the drier warmer theme on Tuesday, and at times beyond this.

“While a mixture of conditions is likely through the week, with various bands of rain moving from west to east at times, there’s a signal for some more persistent and heavy rain on Thursday for those in northern and western parts of the UK.

“While there are still some details to work out, some western hills could see in excess of 50mm of rain through the period, with 15-30mm of rain likely quite widely in the north and west.

“Those further south and east are likely to see lower rainfall totals in general through the week.

“Winds will also be a notable feature for the time of year, particularly in parts of the west.”

The Met Office added: “Provisionally, this is only the 11th year since 1961 temperatures as high as this [34.8C] have been recorded.

“Eight of those years have been since 2000 and six of them have been in the last decade.”

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This follows the death of a two-year-old boy after he was pulled from a Wolverhampton canal, during the hot weather on Sunday afternoon.

West Midlands Police said they do not believe there are any suspicious circumstances around the boy’s death.

Similarly, in a “tragic accident”, 15-year-old Holli Smallman, from Welshpool, died while playing in the River Severn with friends on Friday.

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And officers are also investigating the death of a 33-year-old man in Coventry on 6 August.

Despite police pulling him from a river, he died in hospital a “short time later”.

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