Saturday saw highs of 27.7C in Essex ahead of “quite exceptional” temperatures forecast next week, the Met Office has said.
According to the weather service, today’s hottest temperature was measured in Writtle in Essex near Chelmsford as a heatwave is expected to sweep parts of the UK over the next few days.
In an online forecast, Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said Saturday night could be the last for “fairly decent sleeping conditions” ahead of the heat forecast next week which has sparked weather warnings and concerns for vulnerable people.
“Temperatures could be climbing towards the mid 30s as we head towards the middle of the week,” he said.
“That is quite exceptional for June.”
Of Saturday evening, Mr Vautrey said: “It is still going to be a relatively warmer night across some more central southern districts, a few places holding up in the high teens in places but still not quite as muggy as what we are going to be expecting later on down the line.”
Thousands of people are expected to gather at Stonehenge and Avebury in Wiltshire on Sunday to celebrate the Summer Solstice – the longest day of the year with the sun rising at 4.25 am.
Sunday is expected to be a “fine, lovely day” with sunshine all over the country and some potential showers in north-east England, Mr Vautrey said.
Scotland and Northern Ireland will see highs of around 21C while the south of the UK may hit 31C in places, the meteorologist added.
On Monday, temperatures could reach 32C in southern areas with hot weather continuing on Tuesday, he said.
“So it’s certainly worth taking care as we head into next week.
“That combination of the high daytime temperatures, but also those overnight temperatures remaining very high as well will potentially lead to some heat health effects and people just generally struggling to go about their day-to-day lives as we normally would expect to,” Mr Vautrey added.
Temperatures are expected to peak around 35C on Tuesday and Wednesday, which could see the current highest temperature on record for June being broken, the Met Office said.
The current record is 35.6C which was measured in Southampton in June 1976.
An amber extreme heat warning has been issued by the weather service for Monday and Tuesday for most of southern England, south-eastern and eastern Wales and much of the Midlands.
The alert flags potential health impacts for people vulnerable to extreme heat and heat-related issues for the wider population, as well as a potential increase in water safety incidents.
People in the alert area are advised to drink plenty of fluids and to keep out of the sun and avoid exercising between 11am and 3pm, the Met Office said.
Separate amber heat health alerts have been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for the east, south east and south west of England from Monday morning until Wednesday evening.
A UKHSA yellow heat alert is in also place for Yorkshire and Humber, north-east and north-west England during the same period.
It come after least 15 people died after getting into trouble in open water during a hot spell in May.
Samantha Hughes, national water safety partner at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, said: “With warmer weather approaching, it’s important to remember that the water is still cold.
“Entering it unexpectedly can lead to cold water shock, causing a sudden increase in breathing and heart rate, which may trigger panic.”
After the heat health alerts were issued, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said employers must ensure their workers are protected while maintaining productivity during the heatwave.
