Overview
- The Met Office confirmed late Friday a provisional 37.3°C reading at Santon Downham, Suffolk, marking the hottest June day on record in the UK after successive daily June highs earlier in the week.
- An amber extreme heat warning remains in force for parts of south‑east England through Saturday as heavy showers and thunderstorms begin to break the hottest conditions from the west.
- Hospitals, emergency services and public services reported serious strain this week, with several hospitals declaring critical incidents, hundreds of schools closing and transport and venue disruptions across England.
- European weather services say the main heat mass is shifting eastward and the German Weather Service has issued high‑level alerts for parts of Germany and Poland where temperatures could near 42°C.
- Scientists linked the event to a stalled 'heat‑dome' and said human‑caused climate change raised the odds of such extremes, while forecasts and weather maps show a brief cooldown followed by a possible return of hot conditions in early July.