UK weather: Bank Holiday Monday confirmed to be hottest day of year

31 May 2021, 10:27 | Updated: 31 May 2021, 15:46

Bank Holiday Monday is officially the warmest day of the year so far after 24.6C was recorded in Kinloss in Scotland, the Met Office said this afternoon.

The temperature surpassed the previous high for 2021, which was set on March 30 at Kew Gardens in south-west London when the temperature hit 24.5C.

The warm weather had been forecast to intensify on Bank Holiday Monday, exceeding the 24.5C reached during in March.

Beaches, parks and pub gardens have been packed today, with the Met Office urging people to wear sun protection as "very high" UV levels are expected.

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'Warmest day of the year so far'

Becky Mitchell, a meteorologist from the Met Office said: "We are expecting highs of 25C...so the warmest day of the year so far".

"The only exception is along the east coast - there is quite a lot of low cloud, mist and fog in east coastal areas and that will stay for the next few days , so highs of between 12C (53.6F) and 16C (60.8F) there - quite a lot lower than elsewhere.

"That could go up to 27C (80.6F) in one or two spots by Wednesday, that is pretty warm for the time of year but not record breaking and not exceptional."

A Met Office spokesperson added:"Keep covered and wear a hat and sunglasses, spend time in the shade and use a high factor sun cream with good UVA protection to protect yourself."

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'Unicorns are not suited to our coastal environment'

Research by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution suggests this summer could be the busiest ever on UK beaches, with 30 million Brits planning on heading to the coast as Covid restrictions ease and people choose not to holiday abroad.

Paul Glatzel, who volunteers at Poole Lifeboat Station, told LBC: "Obviously last year was enormously busy and this year is really going to be the same."

"We're looking forward to bank holiday weekend on the south coast with obviously some really great looking weather and obviously we are expecting many, many people to head down to the Poole, Bournemouth area."

But he warned: "Inflatables such as unicorns and lilos are really not suited to our coastal environment. Look out for yourself and look out for others."

The sun is set to continue on Tuesday and Wednesday for most of the UK, but thunderstorms and showers will also move up the country from the southwest on Wednesday, forecasters say.

The welcome heatwave follows the fourth-wettest May on record, with an average of 199mm falling across the country.

The average temperature across March, April and May has been just 6.8C, one degree lower than normally expected.