UK records hottest day of year as temperature hits 33.6C

LONDON

The UK recorded its hottest day of the year so far, with a temperature of 33.6 degrees Celsius (92 degrees Fahrenheit) measured at Frittenden in Kent, the national meteorological service said on Tuesday.

The scorching temperature surpassed the previous 2025 high of 33.2°C, recorded in Charlwood, Surrey, on June 21.

The Met Office had indicated earlier that the record was "very likely to be exceeded in the coming hours," and by Tuesday afternoon, the new high had been confirmed.

In response to the extreme weather conditions, the UK Health Security Agency extended amber heat health alerts across much of the country into Wednesday morning.

An amber alert indicates that significant impacts on the health service are likely and that the wider population—not only vulnerable groups—could be affected.

England set a new record for the hottest temperature experienced in the month of June with a mean temperature of 16.9°C (62°F).

For the UK overall, it was the second-warmest June on record, with a mean of 15.2°C (59°F), just behind 15.8°C (60°F) in 2023. Wales experienced its third-warmest June on record, following 2023 and 2018. Met Office temperature records date back to 1884.

As temperatures soared, gritters were deployed across Britain’s roads to prevent melting tarmac. Central Bedfordshire Council confirmed the move, stating the grit would “protect the road surface” and provide drivers with “extra grip.”

“Some parts of Central Bedfordshire are experiencing very high road surface temperatures,” the council added.

As the country dealt with the extreme heat, National Health Service trusts issued warnings to the public to stay indoors, wear sunscreen, and avoid strenuous activity.

The Met Office attributed the heat wave to climate change.

Amy Doherty, a climate scientist at the agency, said: “While we’ve not conducted formal climate attribution studies into June 2025’s two heatwaves, past studies have shown it is virtually certain that human influence has increased the occurrence and intensity of extreme heat events such as this.

“Numerous climate attribution studies have shown that human influence increased the chance that specific extreme heat events would occur, such as the summer of 2018 and July 2022. Our Met Office climate projections indicate that hot spells will become more frequent in our future climate, particularly over the southeast of the UK,” the Met Office stated.