The UK is set for another day of sweltering conditions, with temperatures due to hit 35C as an amber heat health alert has been extended across the country.
Much of England will enter a fifth day of a heatwave on Tuesday, forecast to be hotter than holiday spots in Barbados, Jamaica and Mexico.
Sunday reached 31C in parts of southeast England, but Tuesday will be even hotter, with highs of 35C in London and the south east, according to the Met Office. It comes as Monday saw scorching highs of 34C across central and eastern England.
Temperatures in Barbados are set to peak at 31C on Monday and Tuesday, according to the Met Office. Even Gibraltar is set to be cooler than the UK with balmy temperatures of 28C on Tuesday.
It comes as an amber heat health alert, covering London, the East Midlands, South East, South West, Yorkshire and Humber, the West Midlands and East of England, is in place until 9am on Wednesday.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also issued a yellow alert for the North West for the same time period, with the agency warning of significant impacts across health and social care services.
An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25C to 28C in different parts of the UK.
Wimbledon experienced its hottest opening day on record on Monday as temperatures reached 32.9C in Kew Gardens on Monday.
The previous warmest opening day on record was on 25 June 2001, when temperatures hit 29.3C.
Tropical nights are also in store for many, with temperatures overnight not dropping below 20C, said the Met Office’s chief operational meteorologist Matt Lehnert.
Fresher air is then expected to move in from the west in the middle of the week, bringing an end to the heatwave.
The hottest day of 2025 so far was recorded on 21 June in Charlwood, Surrey, when temperatures hit 33.2C.
London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Thomas Goodall warned of wildfires in the capital during the sweltering heatwave.
So far this year, firefighters have responded to 14 wildfires in London, and there have been “countless callouts” to smaller fires involving grass, trees and in other outdoor spaces.
He urged the public to “act responsibly” to prevent fires.
There will be a “marked difference” in northwestern parts of the UK, however, with cloud and heavy rain in parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland, where temperatures will stay in the mid to high teens, Mr Lehnert said.
Meanwhile, continental Europe is on high alert as it faces its first major heatwave of the summer, with temperatures expected to climb as high as 42C.
Aemet, Spain’s national weather agency, issued a special warning, forecasting highs of up to 42C in the country’s southern regions in the coming days.
In neighbouring Portugal, around two-thirds of the country will be placed under high alert on Sunday due to extreme temperatures and the risk of wildfires. Lisbon could see highs of 42C.
In Italy, where cities such as Naples and Palermo are bracing for 39C heat, the regions of Sicily and Liguria have introduced bans on outdoor work during the hottest parts of the day.
