Beaches packed on hottest day of year...so far
HUNDREDS of thousands of people headed to beaches, rivers and parks yesterday to make the most of the hottest day of the year so far.
Sunseekers flocked to Bournemouth and Brighton on the South Coast, while some went for a punt on Cambridge’s River Cam as Britain basked in temperatures of nearly 26C.
The Met Office said the mercury hit 25.9C in Herstmonceux, East Sussex, and 25.7C was recorded in Cassley, northern Scotland. Gogerddan in Wales saw 25.1C, while temperatures in Northern Ireland peaked at 23.8C in Magilligan.
Simon Partridge, an expert at the Met Office, said the 2024 hottest day record is “not likely to last long” as forecasters expect it to be even warmer today. He added: “The difference on Sunday is that it is not likely to be as warm for Northern Ireland, Wales or Scotland.
“The really warm air will probably be confined to southern and eastern parts of England, with temperatures expected to peak in central parts of the country at around 27C.”
Parts of the UK will be warm and humid today before storms and heavy rain in the afternoon. There are three yellow thunderstorm warnings in place. One covers most areas in thewest, with storms expected between midday and 10pm.the second warning is for the western half of Northern Ireland between 11am and 7pm.
The third is for western parts of Scotland and runs from 2pm today to 4am tomorrow.
The Met Office said that intense downpours could lead to flooding.
It comes after Ronalds Abele, 17, drowned while swimming at Wellingborough embankment in Northamptonshire on Friday.
He was pronounced dead at Northampton General Hospital after being airlifted from the banks of the River Nene.