UK sees ‘warmest night ever’ with 25C heatwave temperatures

The UK has experienced its warmest night on record ahead of what is likely to be the hottest day, the Met Office said.

Temperatures didn’t fall below 25C in some places, exceeding the previous daily minimum record of 23.9C in Brighton on 3 August 1990.

It was a hot night across much of England and Wales, with temperatures as high as 25.9C in Emley Moor and 25.8C in Kenley, while Aberporth recorded an overnight minimum temperature of 24.5C the Met Office said.

The new record comes as the UK braces itself for further extreme heat with forecasters warning the country is likely to record its hottest day on record on Tuesday, which could peak at 43C. That’s well above the previous record of 38.7C recorded in Cambridge in 2019.

The higher temperatures are forecast as the UK struggled with highs of 38C on Monday.

Flights were disrupted by melting runways at Luton airport, and people have been advised not to travel on public transport unless “absolutely necessary”.

Scientists have long-warned human-caused climate change is fuelling heatwaves across the UK and Europe, making them more likely and more intense.

Record temperature levels were broken twice in one day in Wales on Monday, with Hawarden in Flintshire recording a high of 37.1C.

Meanwhile, firefighters reported that there had been 24 wildfires in 48 hours in England and Wales - double the number recorded in all of July last year.

The soaring temperatures come as the High Court ruled that ministers had failed to specify exactly how the government’s net zero strategy would meet emission reduction targets and ordered them to redraw the plan by March next year.

They also come as Conservative MPs battle to become the next Conservative leader and prime minister in a contest in which candidates have shown tepid support for the government’s net zero strategy, which legally-binds ministers to cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero compared to 1990 levels by 2050.