Welcome to the heat dome: Britain braces for one of the hottest June days EVER as 'killer' heatwave strikes with 34C temperatures forecast on the first day of Wimbledon

Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

Today is set to be one of the hottest June days on record, with highs of 34C serving tennis fans a sweltering start to Wimbledon.
Much of England will enter a fourth day of a heatwave, forecast to be hotter than holiday spots in Barbados, Jamaica and Mexico.
Since 1960, UK temperatures in June have surpassed 34C in only three years, with the hottest being 35.6C, recorded on June 28 1976.
Wimbledon is set for its hottest opening day ever today, with temperatures expected to surpass the previous record of 29.3C set on June 25 2001.
The hottest day the tournament has seen was on July 1 2015 when temperatures reached 35.7C.
A tropical night may also be on the cards, with parts of England to stay above 20C overnight into Tuesday, the Met Office said.
Parts of south-east England could then hit 35C on Tuesday.
Temperatures will soar to a searing hot 34C in the UK on Monday, forecasters say, as Europe swelters in a 'heat dome'.
Britain bathed in balmy 30C heat on Sunday to round off a sweltering weekend and there is set to be no relief overnight, with temperatures in England and Northern Ireland remaining in the late teens.
And things will get even toastier at the start of next week with the mercury reaching 26C in the southeast by 10am on Monday before hitting highs in the mid-30s by the afternoon.
A weather map shows that London and the southeast will experience the highest figures, with 31C expected in the Midlands and 28C in the northwest and west of the country.
The Met Office wrote on X: 'Here is the 4cast for Monday. Hot across southeast England in particular with temperatures reaching 34 Celsius.'
The hottest place in the UK on Sunday was London's St James's Park - which hit a smouldering 31C.
The toasty temperatures will threaten the UK's June record of 35.6C - set in the famously hot summer of 1976.
But Britain is not the only country melting in the June heat, with a 'heat dome' currently gripping large swathes of Europe and wreaking havoc.
On Sunday, firefighters mobilised in several nations to tackle blazes as southern Europeans sought shelter from punishing temperatures of a heatwave that is set to intensify in the coming days.
Fires broke out in France and Turkey Sunday, with other countries already on alert.
Authorities from Spain to Portugal, Italy and France urged people to seek shelter and protect the most vulnerable from the summer's first major heatwave.
Ambulances stood on standby near tourist hotspots as experts warned that such heatwaves, intensified by climate change, would become more frequent.
In Turkey, forest fires broke out Sunday afternoon in the western Izmir province, fed by strong winds, local media reported.
In France, meanwhile, wildfires broke out in the Corbieres area of Aude in the southwest, where temperatures topped 40C, forcing the evacuation of a campsite and abbey as a precaution.
The country's weather service Meteo France put a record 84 out of its 101 regional departments on an orange heatwave alert - the second-highest - for Monday.
Spain's weather service AEMET said temperatures in Extremadura and Andalusia, in the south and southwest, had reached up to 44C Sunday and issued a special warning amid the heatwave.
Several areas in the southern half of Portugal, including Lisbon, are under a red warning until Monday night, said the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).
SPAIN -- Tourists cool off under a cloud of mist at the Plaza de la Reina during a heat wave in Valencia
Two-thirds of Portugal was also on high alert Sunday for extreme heat and forest fires - as was the Italian island of Sicily, where firefighters tackled 15 blazes Saturday.
In Italy, 21 cities were on high alert for extreme heat, including Milan, Naples, Venice, Florence and Rome.
'We were supposed to be visiting the Colosseum, but my mum nearly fainted,' said British tourist Anna Becker, who had travelled to Rome from a 'muggy, miserable' Verona.
Hospital emergency departments across Italy have reported an uptick in heatstroke cases, according to Mario Guarino, vice president of the Italian Society of Emergency Medicine.
'We've seen around a 10 percent increase, mainly in cities that not only have very high temperatures but also a higher humidity rate. It is mainly elderly people, cancer patients or homeless people, presenting with dehydration, heat stroke, fatigue,' he said.
In Venice, authorities offered free guided tours for people over 75s in air-conditioned museums and public buildings.
Bologna has set up seven 'climate shelters' with air conditioning and drinking water, Florence has called on doctors to flag up the lonely and vulnerable, Ancona is delivering dehumidifiers to the needy, and Rome has offered free access to city swimming pools for those over 70.
In Portugal, several areas in the southern half of the country, including the capital Lisbon, are under a red warning for heat until Monday night, according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere.
VATICAN CITY -- A woman uses a fan to cool herself during the heat as Pope Leo XIV addesses the crowd
PORTUGAL -- A man walks under umbrella to protect himself from the sun by the Tagus River, Lisbon
In France, experts warned that the heat was also severely impacting biodiversity.
'With this stifling heat, the temperature can exceed 40 degrees in some nests,' said Allain Bougrain-Dubourg, president of the League for the Protection of Birds.
'We are taking in birds in difficulty everywhere; our seven care centres are saturated,' he said.
It is also attracting invasive species, which are thriving in the more tropical climes.
Wimbledon is set for its hottest opening day on record on Monday and could even see the highest temperature ever recorded during the tournament.
The hottest ever Wimbledon day was on July 1 2015, when temperatures reached 35.7C.
The warmest opening day on record was on June 25 2001, when temperatures hit 29.3C.
WIMBLEDON -- Wimbledon is set for its hottest opening day on record on Monday and could even see the highest temperature ever recorded during the tournament
CAMBRIDGE -- People punting on the River Cam during the hot weather
The hottest day of 2025 so far was recorded on June 21 in Charlwood, Surrey, when temperatures hit 33.2C.
Tropical nights are also in store for many, with temperatures overnight not dropping below 20C, Mr Lenhert said.
Fresher air is then expected to move in from the west in the middle of the week, bringing an end to the heatwave.
It comes as a second amber heat health alert in two weeks came into force on Friday.
The alert, which covered London, the East Midlands, South East, South West and East of England, will last until 6pm on Tuesday.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also issued a yellow alert for Yorkshire and Humber and the West Midlands for the same time period, with the agency warning of significant impacts across health and social care services.
An amber alert was previously issued for all regions in England on June 19, the first time it had been used since September 2023.
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.
SPAIN -- A tourist uses an umbrella to protect herself from the sun during a heatwave in Valencia
VATICAN CITY -- People use a fountain to splash cooling water over their faces in St Peter's Square
London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Thomas Goodall said: 'London is already facing its second heatwave of the year and we know that people will be looking forward to getting outside to enjoy the wonderful weather.
'But the high temperatures and low rainfall in recent months means the current risk of wildfires is severe.
'So far this year, firefighters have responded to around 14 wildfires in the capital.
'There have also been countless call outs to smaller fires involving grass, trees and in other outdoor spaces, as well as in people's gardens.
'During this latest heatwave, it is important everyone acts responsibly to prevent fires from occurring.
'As the weather has been so dry, it only takes a few sparks to lead to a fire spreading rapidly.
'In London, this is can be dangerous because so many of our green spaces lie close to homes and other properties.'
There will be a 'marked difference' in north-western 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 Lenhert said.
The hottest ever July 1 on record was in 2015, when the temperature hit 36.7C.