Temperatures to cool after days of record-breaking May heat - but highs of 33C still expected in south-west England
Six people have died in recent days, including four teenagers, in separate swimming incidents as crowds flocked to open water
Temperatures are expected to cool off after several days of record-breaking heat, although south-west England will see highs of up to 33C on Wednesday.
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Six people have died in separate swimming incidents as the UK recorded its hottest day of the year for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, with temperatures hitting 35C.
The Met Office said Tuesday was the hottest day in May on record for both England and Wales, with Kew Gardens provisionally reaching 35.1C and Cardiff Bute Park reaching 32.9C.
The weather service said cloud and a developing easterly flow of wind on Wednesday would lead to a “reduction in temperature highs for many areas” – although south-west England may still see 32C-33C.
Highs of 32C are forecast for Thursday in London and the East Midlands, with temperatures on Friday potentially reaching 30C in London and East Anglia.
By Sunday, the warmest air is expected to have cleared away to the south with temperatures closer to, but mostly above, average for the time of year for the whole of the UK.
It comes as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) warned of a "Very real" risk of swimming in open water during the heatwave after six people, including four teenagers and a 12-year-old, died in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Devon and Cornwall, Warwickshire, Lincolnshire and Lancashire in recent days.
The charity said that while temperatures have hit record highs for May, water temperatures remained low and this could lead to cold water shocks.
The National Fire Chiefs Council has also issued a water safety warning and urged families to speak to children about the risks of unsupervised swimming in rivers, lakes, quarries, canals and reservoirs.
Declan Sawyer, 15, died after getting into trouble at Swanholme Lakes, Lincoln, on Sunday.
Following his death, Declan's father Carl paid tribute to the "funny and outgoing young man" and stressed no parent should go through the same ordeal.
“He had a very cheeky smile and the personality to match. He was very much loved by his friends and family, and will be missed dearly by many," he said.
A 13-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty at Leadbeater Dam, near Halifax, West Yorkshire, on Monday and the body of a teenage girl was recovered from the water at Kingsbury Water Park, Warwickshire.
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said the teenage boy was pulled from the water and taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The same day, a man in his 60s died of cardiac arrest after entering the sea at Tregirls Beach, Padstow, to help two family members who were in difficulty, Devon and Cornwall Police said.
The body of a fourth teenager was recovered from the water at Rother Valley Country Park, Rotherham, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, South Yorkshire Police said.
And on Tuesday evening, Lancashire Police said a body had been recovered from the River Ribble after a 12-year-old boy got into difficulty while swimming with friends at Ribchester.
There was a further death in Ireland where Gardai said a teenage girl died in the sea at Burrow Beach, a popular swimming spot near Howth, on Sunday.
🟠 Amber heat‑health alerts have been extended until Thursday 28 May and now include the South West, alongside the South East and central England. Check in on vulnerable people and know what to do if someone becomes unwell in the heat. pic.twitter.com/W4fY9tTIyU
— UK Health Security Agency (@UKHSA) May 26, 2026
Train services across Britain were disrupted as temperatures soared, with Network Rail imposing a series of speed restrictions on tracks to keep trains safe on Tuesday.
The UK experienced a “tropical night” on Monday as the record for the warmest minimum temperature for May was broken for the second consecutive day.
Temperatures did not fall below 20C overnight on Monday in parts of the UK, with 21.3C recorded at Kenley Airfield, south London.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said the “exceedingly hot” temperatures were “exceptional”.
Mr Burkill added: “It really is an exceptionally warm or very hot spell at the moment.
“For any time of the year it’s hot, but for May in particular – it is still meteorological spring.
“In terms of how ground-breaking, how historic it is – it’s very similar to that first time that we reached 40C.
“The fact that we’ve exceeded the May temperature by such an amount really is extraordinary and quite worrying.”
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said amber heat-health alerts for the South West, South East, London, East and West Midlands and the East of England will remain in place until 5pm on Thursday, with yellow heat-health alerts for the North West and North East.
The Met Office said a climate attribution study published last summer by its scientists found that the chances of surpassing the May temperature record “have been increasing as our climate changes as a consequence of human greenhouse gas emissions”.
The study found that breaking the previous 32.8C May record was “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”.