UK weather map: Where temperatures could hit record-breaking 30C today

Temperatures are expected to soar to 30C in the UK today, as the country prepares for the hottest day of the year so far.

Britain could face both the earliest point on record that temperatures reach 30C, and the warmest start to May on record.

Met Office meteorologist Michael Silverstone said temperatures could climb to “29C or even 30C”.

He added: “If we reach 30C on Thursday, it will be the earliest date in May that the UK has seen 30C since our records began in 1860.”

Temperatures are expected to be hottest in London and the south of England. By contrast, cloud and showers have been forecast to move southeast across Scotland and Northern Ireland into northern England.

The Met Office said temperatures reached 26.7C in Wisley, Surrey on Wednesday – making it the warmest day of the year so far.

The previous high was 24.5C in St James’s Park, London, on Monday, which reached 24.7C on Tuesday.

Despite the soaring temperatures, the Met Office has ruled out a heatwave this week.

Mr Silverstone said it looks “unlikely” the UK will reach a heatwave – which is defined as three consecutive days of temperatures exceeding the “heatwave threshold”, which varies across the country.

The threshold is 25C for most of the UK, rising to 28C in London.

“Admittedly, it could be close for a few places in the South, though, with temperatures either today or Friday only just failing to exceed the required threshold,” Mr Silverstone said.

But temperatures are expected to ease by Friday, and Saturday will bring cooler conditions of 14C to 18C across the UK.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has urged caution around open-water swimming after a 32 per cent increase in water-related incidents last month compared with the same period last year.