UK records hottest day of year so far with temperatures of 27.5C
The highest temperature was recorded at Heathrow in west London.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The UK has recorded its hottest day of the year so far, after temperatures in the South East peaked at 27.5C (81.5F) on Tuesday afternoon.
The highest temperature was recorded at Heathrow, the Met Office said.
The figure means that the UK was warmer than some popular holiday destinations like Santorini which only saw 26C on Tuesday.
But clouds and heavy rain in the west are expected to spread into central areas of the UK on Tuesday evening, the Met Office said.
The Met Office said the hot weather was due to an air mass from the south bringing up mild air, particularly impacting areas in the South East.
However, it forecast that temperatures will slowly decline as the week goes on and the air mass moves, bringing in fresher air and temperatures closer to the average for this time of year.
The previous highest temperature recorded so far this year was 23.6C (73.48F) in Faversham, Kent, on May 6.