UK weather: highest temperature of the year so far could be recorded today - how hot is it?

The UK could on Sunday (4 June) experience its hottest day of the year, with temperatures potentially soaring to 26°C.

The highest temperature so far in 2023 was 25.1°C, which was recorded on 30 May in Porthmadog, Wales. But weather forecasters believe this could be surpassed.

Met Office meteorologist Rachel Ayers said people can expect highs of 24°C or 25°C in the warmer spots of the country, adding that sheltered areas in the west could even seen temperatures of 26°C.

She did say however there was a relatively low chance of 26°C being recorded, explaining: “We’d be looking at that somewhere in the west, probably similar kind of areas, parts of Wales, maybe south-west England.”

Ms Ayers also explained that those across the south, particularly English Channel coasts, might see slightly lower temperatures due to a pleasant sea breeze.

Meanwhile, those on the East can expect temperatures on Sunday of around 15°C or 16°C, while inland areas will be warmer with highs of 18°C to 20°C.

Sun-lovers will be pleased to hear that the dry and warm weather is expected to continue into next week too, meaning park visits, trips to the beach, barbecues, and other summer activities won’t have to end anytime soon.

In the summer of 2022, the UK experienced a huge heatwave - with the Met Office issuing a red extreme heat warning for the first time. The UK’s highest ever temperature was recorded in Coningsby, Lincolnshire on 19 July, where a blistering 40.3°C was reached.

Other countries in Europe also saw unusual highs, with a long-running drought - likely the continent’s worst in 500 years - and a series of extreme heatwaves making summer 2022 Europe’s hottest on record, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

It is unclear yet whether summer 2023 will see similar temperatures, but in preparation, a new alert system has been launched in England which will issue warnings to the public and NHS when temperatures reach dangerously high levels.

The Heat Health Alerting (HHA) system, run by the UK Health Security Agency and the Met Office, has warned that future heatwaves could be “more intense and last longer”.