Birmingham and the UK are bracing for an official heatwave declaration on Sunday as an intense spell of rare May heat brings the hottest day of the year so far. Temperatures hit 30.5C at Frittenden in Kent on Saturday — the highest reading of the year to date.
Records Could Fall on Bank Holiday Monday
The scorching conditions could pave the way for new national May temperature records to be broken on bank holiday Monday. The current record stands at 32.8C, set on the Late Spring Bank Holiday Monday in 1944 at Tunbridge Wells, Horsham and Central London. Forecasters suggest temperatures could potentially climb to 33C or even 34C across parts of south-east England.
While the tourism and hospitality sectors are embracing the well-timed sunshine, the prolonged nature of the heatwave is likely to pose health risks for some people. Amber heat-health alerts remain in place across parts of the Midlands and eastern England until at least Wednesday.
Historical Context
Saturday marked the UK's first 30C day of the year, and the earliest point in the calendar that such temperatures have been reached since 1952. Days reaching 30C in May across the UK are comparatively uncommon; nevertheless, it's possible we might witness four or five logged this week alone.
The overnight temperature record for May could also be toppled should any location remain above the 18.9C recorded in Folkestone on the night of 30-31 May 1947. Forecasts indicate that some areas of England and Wales could remain above heatwave thresholds for much of the week.
Climate Change Impact
Climate change is thought to have contributed to extreme hot weather episodes such as this. The Met Office's State of the UK Climate report indicates that the number of days in the UK with temperatures above 28C has more than doubled and the number of days with temperatures above 30C has more than trebled in the most recent decade, compared with the 1961-1990 average.
