Red extreme – A rare red warning for extreme heat remains in place for London and parts of south-east England until 21:00 BST for the third day in a row, following the hottest ever June day in the UK. With temperatures climbing—36.7C reported in Merryfield, Somerset—schools
Morning light over Twickenham didn’t feel like relief for long. For a third straight day, a rare red warning for extreme heat is in place across London and parts of south-eastern England, running until 21:00 BST and affecting millions of people.
The heat isn’t coming out of nowhere. Thursday brought what is described as the hottest ever June day, with temperatures reaching 36.7C in Merryfield, Somerset. It wasn’t just one region either: all four nations of the UK recorded their highest temperatures of the year so far during the heatwave.
By the time people were planning their day, the consequences were already visible. Schools have closed. In Kent, a hosepipe ban has been brought in. Train services have also been disrupted—an impact that can make the heat feel even harder to escape when schedules unravel and travel becomes another source of stress.
On Wednesday, the UK saw its warmest June night on record, based on provisional figures. In Cardiff, overnight temperatures did not drop below 23.5C, surpassing the previous record low of 22.7C set in 1976. The question now is whether that overnight record holds—daytime temperatures have been soaring so sharply that it may have been broken again during the night.
The sequence is stark: the nights have stayed unusually warm, the daytime highs have surged past what the UK previously saw for June, and the warning level has stayed at the most serious end—right through to the evening.
Across the UK, updates and advice on how to stay cool are being issued as conditions persist. BBC Weather, along with teams across the country, are set to bring the latest guidance throughout the day.
red heat warning London south-east England extreme heat June heatwave 36.7C Merryfield Somerset Cardiff warmest June night hosepipe ban Kent schools closed train services disrupted