This is what climate change feels like
In the final days of May 2026, England found itself in the grip of heat that belongs to a different season entirely — temperatures at Kew Gardens reaching 34.8 degrees Celsius, shattering every record the month had ever held. What meteorologists called exceptional even for midsummer is now arriving in spring, a quiet but insistent signal that the climate's rhythms are being rewritten. Scientists are careful to name the cause: not misfortune, but the accumulated consequence of a warming world, where days of extreme heat are no longer rare visitations but a growing feature of ordinary life.
- England's thermometer climbed to 34.8°C on Monday — the hottest May day ever recorded in the UK — with forecasters warning Tuesday could push even further to 35°C.
- Infrastructure buckled under the strain: 500 homes in Sussex and Kent lost water supply as demand overwhelmed systems, and vehicle interiors were reaching 60°C in parked cars.
- Health authorities issued amber and yellow heat alerts across nearly all of England, urging vulnerable people indoors during peak hours and prompting public events — including a donkey derby — to cancel.
- The records are not isolated: seven of the twelve all-time May monthly highs have been set since 2003, and days above 30°C have more than tripled compared to the 1961–1990 baseline.
- Scientists are no longer speaking in cautious abstractions — one leading climate professor told the BBC plainly: 'This is what climate change feels like.'
On Monday, a thermometer at Kew Gardens in London reached 34.8 degrees Celsius, breaking the UK's all-time record for the hottest day ever recorded in May and surpassing the previous hottest bank holiday Monday — a mark set in August 2019. By Tuesday, forecasters were warning the heat could climb further still, possibly reaching 35 degrees across parts of south-east England before the heatwave relented.
The Met Office described the conditions as "exceptional even in mid-summer, let alone in May," driven by warmth building beneath a stubborn area of high pressure. Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland each recorded their own milestones, and the broader pattern was telling: seven of the twelve monthly May records have been set since 2003, against a late-May average of just 14 to 20 degrees.
The heat was not merely uncomfortable — it was disruptive. Around 500 properties in Sussex and Kent lost water service as demand outpaced supply. Amber and yellow heat health alerts covered nearly all of England through Wednesday afternoon. Public events cancelled out of concern for animals and people alike, the AA warned of car interiors reaching 60 degrees, and Age UK advised the most vulnerable to stay indoors during the hottest midday hours.
Behind the records lies a longer story. The number of days exceeding 30 degrees in the UK has more than tripled over the past decade compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. Hannah Cloke, a professor of meteorology at the University of Reading, offered no hedging: "This is what climate change feels like." Tuesday's forecast suggested the record books were not yet finished being rewritten.
Monday's thermometer in London climbed to 34.8 degrees Celsius—a figure that shattered the UK's record for the hottest day ever recorded in May. The reading, taken at Kew Gardens, also eclipsed what had been the hottest bank holiday Monday on record, a mark set in August 2019 at 33.3 degrees. By Tuesday, forecasters were warning that parts of England could push even higher, possibly reaching 35 degrees as the heatwave intensified rather than broke.
The Met Office called the conditions "exceptional even in mid-summer, let alone in May." The heat was being driven by what meteorologists described as warmth building beneath an area of high pressure positioned near the UK. South-east England would bear the brunt of Tuesday's temperatures, while other regions across England and Wales would see highs in the upper 20s. The north of England would experience less extreme conditions than it had on Monday. Most of the country would remain dry and sunny, though southern England, East Anglia, and possibly Yorkshire faced a chance of thunderstorms as moisture accumulated in the atmosphere.
Wales had also recorded its hottest May day on Monday, reaching 32.2 degrees at Hawarden Airport in Flintshire. Scotland and Northern Ireland set their highest temperatures of 2026 so far—25.5 degrees in Charterhall and 25.8 degrees in County Fermanagh respectively. The pattern was stark: seven of the twelve monthly record highs for May had been set since 2003, according to the Met Office. To put the current temperatures in perspective, the average high for late May in the UK sits between 14 and 20 degrees.
The heat was already straining infrastructure. Around 500 properties in Sussex and Kent lost water service or experienced intermittent supply on Monday afternoon as demand spiked beyond what systems could handle. The UK Health Security Agency had issued its first amber-heat health alert of the year on Friday, covering much of England including the West Midlands, East Midlands, East of England, South East, and London. The North East, North West, South West, Yorkshire, and Humber regions were placed under yellow alert. Both would remain in effect until 17:00 on Wednesday.
Public events began cancelling in response to the danger. In Surrey, the Leatherhead Lions Club announced it would remove donkeys and cancel its dog show at the annual bank holiday donkey derby, citing animal welfare concerns. The AA urged drivers not to relax their caution on long journeys, warning that vehicle interiors could reach 60 degrees Celsius when parked in direct sun. The breakdown service explicitly cautioned against leaving children, vulnerable passengers, or pets inside parked cars, even briefly. Age UK recommended people stay indoors between 11:00 and 15:00, the hottest hours, and take regular cold baths and showers.
Scientists pointed to climate change as the underlying cause of such extreme heat events. According to the Met Office's State of the UK Climate report, the number of days with temperatures above 28 degrees has more than doubled over the past decade compared to the 1961-1990 baseline. Days exceeding 30 degrees have more than tripled in that same comparison. Hannah Cloke, a regius professor of meteorology and climate at the University of Reading, told the BBC: "This is what climate change feels like." The heatwave was not an anomaly but a symptom of a warming world, and Tuesday's forecast suggested the record books were not finished being rewritten.
Citas Notables
This heat would be exceptional in the UK even in mid-summer, let alone in May— Met Office
This is what climate change feels like— Hannah Cloke, Regius Professor of Meteorology and Climate, University of Reading
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does a May heatwave matter more than a July one? Isn't heat just heat?
Because our bodies, our infrastructure, our animals—everything is calibrated for what May should be. A 35-degree day in August, people have adapted. In May, it's a shock. Water systems aren't designed for this demand. People aren't acclimatized. It's the wrongness of the timing that makes it dangerous.
The Met Office said this is what climate change feels like. Does that mean we should expect this every May now?
Not necessarily every May, but the baseline is shifting. What was once a once-in-a-century event is becoming once-in-a-decade. The high-pressure systems that create these heat domes are becoming more intense and more frequent. We're not returning to normal—we're establishing a new normal.
Five hundred properties without water in Sussex and Kent sounds manageable. Is that really a crisis?
It's a signal. Water companies plan for peak demand in summer, not May. When 500 properties lose supply in one afternoon, it means the system is already stressed. Scale that up across a decade of increasingly hot Mays, and you're looking at infrastructure that can't keep pace.
Why cancel a donkey derby? Couldn't they just move it indoors or to evening?
Because 35 degrees is genuinely dangerous for animals. A donkey standing in the sun for hours, even with water breaks, is at real risk of heat stroke. It's not about comfort—it's about survival. That's the threshold we're crossing: events that were always safe are becoming unsafe.
The alerts cover much of England but not all. Why the patchwork?
Geography and infrastructure. London and the South East have the highest population density and the most strain on services. The North West and North East, cooler and less densely built, face lower immediate risk. But the alerts also reflect where the heat is actually expected to peak—the south will be hotter than the north on Tuesday.