The Met Office expects an official heatwave as temperatures rise to 33C over the Bank Holiday weekend. Forecasters from the national weather agency say the mercury could rise as high as 30C on Saturday, 32C on Sunday, and 33C on Monday. This would mean we see the hottest ever temperature for May, as the current record is 32.8C.
Regions Affected
The south-east of England is expected to be the hottest region, although official heatwave conditions could also be reached in central England, western England and parts of Wales, according to the Met Office. An official heatwave is declared when temperatures rise above the heatwave threshold for three consecutive days. The threshold varies from 25C to 28C across different counties.
Record-Breaking Temperatures Expected
The Met Office expects temperatures to reach 33C on Monday, which would constitute a new record for May. "It is likely that the May and Spring UK temperature records will be broken over the Bank Holiday weekend, with forecast temperatures surpassing the existing record of 32.8C," Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster Steve Kocher said.
This comes after a study published last summer by Met Office scientists found the chances of surpassing the May temperature record set in 1944 have been increasing as our climate changes. The study found that breaking the 32.8C May record is around three times more likely now in our current climate than it would have been in a natural climate not impacted by greenhouse gas emissions. What was around a 1-in-100 year event is now around a 1-in-33 year event.
