UK records hottest day of the year so far as temperatures hit 38.1°C

The UK has recorded its hottest day of the year so far on Thursday, as temperatures provisionally reached 38.1°C at Kew Gardens in London, the Met Office said.

The new high is the second time this year the country has seen temperatures reach 38°C, and it surpasses the previous hottest day of 2026 when 38°C was recorded in the late June heatwave as the UK struggled under a rare “red warning” for extreme temperatures.

The only other time temperatures have reached 38°C twice in a year was in 2022 when the UK recorded its hottest ever temperatures, the Met Office said.

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It also means Thursday is the fifth hottest day on record.