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Large parts of Britain were officially in the first heat wave of the year on Monday, with forecasters warning that temperatures could reach their highest levels ever in the month of May.<\/p>\n
Temperatures were expected to rise well above the seasonal average, with maximum temperatures reaching 35 \u00b0C (95 \u00b0F) in some areas of England. If reached, it would break Britain’s May temperature record of 32.8 \u00b0C (91 \u00b0F), set in 1944, according to the Met Office, the country’s official weather service.<\/p>\n
Service It has been told<\/a> The heat has been described as “unprecedented for the time of year”, noting that temperature records are usually broken by only a fraction of a degree.<\/p>\n Unusually warm conditions had persisted throughout the week, but the first major peak came over the weekend, particularly in England and Wales. On Saturday, temperatures in southeast England climbed to 30.5 \u00b0C (86.9 \u00b0F). Temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius in May are rare in the UK, with the last time this happened in 2012, the Met Office said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n As of Sunday, there were eight locations in southeast England Officially meets country’s heat wave norms<\/a>After recording three consecutive days above your local temperature limit.<\/p>\n Heat wave conditions in Britain differ from those typically used in the United States, where the National Weather Service broadly defines<\/a> It is described as “a period of unusually hot weather lasting more than two days.” However, in Britain, the Met Office uses a more formal set of criteria: a official heat wave<\/a> Declared when the temperature at a location is recorded equal to or above the local heat wave limit for three consecutive days.<\/p>\n These limits vary across the country, ranging from 25 \u00b0C (77 \u00b0F) in colder northern and western regions, including Scotland and Northern Ireland, to 28 \u00b0C (82 \u00b0F) in London and its surrounding areas.<\/p>\n The Met Office said it is the UK’s first official heat wave in the month of May since the service introduced its formal heat wave definition in 2019.<\/p>\n To people accustomed to hot climates, those temperatures may not seem particularly extreme. Parts of the eastern United States recently experienced more intense heat, with temperatures in Philadelphia reaching 98 \u00b0F (36.6 \u00b0C) and setting a new record for May, while Newark reached 99 \u00b0F (37.2 \u00b0C), the highest temperature ever recorded in May.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n