Thanks to a long term La Nina induced dry pattern, abnormally warm Atlantic, North Sea and Med and exceptionally hot air in place over Iberia, the heat is one… Thanks to high pressure sliding east and low pressure lifting north from Iberia towards UK, an area of nearly off-the-scale warmth has tracked northward over the UK. Yesterday saw temperatures come within 1C of the UK all-time record. For Wales, it was the hottest day on record with a high of 37.1C.

1600 UPDATE: Hawarden in Flintshire has now provisionally reached 37.1°C

🌡️ This is the highest air temperature ever recorded in #Wales #Heatwave2022 #heatwave #hottestdayoftheyear pic.twitter.com/QjkVL9YYrV

— Met Office (@metoffice) July 18, 2022

For the Rep of Ireland, it was their 2nd hottest day on record with 33.0C recorded at Phoenix Park, Dublin.

https://twitter.com/METclimate/status/1549060793383223299

While shy of a national record, Aboyne, Aberdeenshire and Leuchers, Fife both topped 31.3C, a record for both while Edinburgh exceeded 30C.

Northern Ireland came close to it’s new all-time heat record set just last year.

https://twitter.com/metoffice/status/1549072840653443072

While mid-30s was common across much of England, especially Midlands, South and East, Santon Downham, Suffolk was the hot spot at 38.1C which fell just shy of the 38.7C recorded at Cambridge Botanic Gardens just 3 years ago. Several spots exceeded 37C.

UK maximum temperatures for Monday 18 July, 2022.

Little heat relief came overnight with some spots failing to dip below 25C. This makes last night the warmest on record and easily beats the previous UK record for highest overnight minimum of 23.9C recorded in Brighton back in 1990.

https://twitter.com/metoffice/status/1549321680304148485

It would appear we are on our way to the first 40C in UK recorded history today!

Why warmer than yesterday? After a very hot day yesterday and minimumal overnight cooling, the base temperature was much higher today than yesterday morning. The air mass itself is considerably warmer too and 850s widely between 23-25C!

https://twitter.com/MetJam_/status/1549105625577168897