Britain will swelter in the hottest ever start to May today with temperatures set to hit 30C (86F) at the earliest point of the year on record.
The UK will also have its hottest day of 2025 so far for the fourth consecutive day, after highs of 26.7C (80.1F), 24.9C (76.8F) and 24.5C (76.1F) for the past three days.
Students from the University of St Andrews made the most of the warm conditions at sunrise to part in the traditional May Day Dip on the East Sands in the Fife town.
Plunging into the North Sea at dawn on the first day of May is said to promote good luck in exams – with hundreds seen excitedly running into the water this morning.
Elsewhere, morris dancers welcomed the start of the month as celebrations took place across the country to mark the arrival of May Day. Festivals dating back hundreds of years traditionally take place at what is seen as the beginning of summer.
Very warm weather continues tomorrow with 26C (79F) highs before temperatures drop this weekend with 19C (66F) on Saturday and 16C (61F) on Sunday.
Bank Holiday Monday will also be significantly cooler with highs of just 14C (57F) before next Tuesday and Wednesday get up to only 15C (59F) or 16C (61F).
It is good news for hayfever sufferers after the Met Office imposed a ‘very high’ pollen warning for all of southern England, the Midlands and Wales today. This is replaced by a ‘high’ warning tomorrow, ‘medium’ on Saturday and ‘low’ on Sunday.
Students from the University of St Andrews take part in the traditional May Day Dip today
Students from the University of St Andrews take part in the traditional May Day Dip today
Hundreds of students run into the water on the East Sands in St Andrews, Fife, this morning
But it could be the warmest start to May ever today, with Met Office meteorologist Michael Silverstone saying 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 about 7C to 13C above the average for early May.
The current all-time high for May 1 is 27.4C (81.3F) at Lossiemouth in Moray in 1990.
And the highest ever recorded in May was 32.8C (91.0F) on May 22, 1922, in London.
The Met Office said temperatures reached 26.7C (80.1F) yesterday in Wisley, Surrey, – making it the warmest day of the year so far.
That came after temperatures hit 24.9C (76.8F) on Tuesday in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire; and 24.5C (76.1F) on Monday at St James’s Park in London.
Despite the soaring temperatures, the all-time April high of 29.4C (84.9F) at Camden Square in London in 1949 was not broken.
Meanwhile 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.
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.
Students from the University of St Andrews take part in the traditional May Day Dip today
Hundreds of students go into the water on the East Sands in St Andrews, Fife, this morning
Hook Eagle Morris dancers in Hook, Hampshire, this morning as they see in the May Day dawn
Sunrise in Dunsden, Oxfordshire, today on what is set to be the warmest day of the year so far
Craig Carter, LFB assistant commissioner for prevention and protection, said: ‘Even when the sun is shining, water temperatures can be dangerously cold. Cold water shock can affect anyone, no matter how fit or experienced they are.
‘It can lead to water inhalation and, in the worst cases, drowning. Be particularly careful near the water’s edge, it’s easy to slip and fall unexpectedly. And think twice before jumping into open water.’
Yesterday, trains were delayed in areas of London, Berkshire and Yorkshire because of the hot weather.
Great Western Railway said fewer trains could run between London Paddington and Reading because of a speed restriction brought in due to ‘high track temperatures’.
The same problem impacted TransPennine Express services between Malton and York stations in North Yorkshire, and Stalybridge and Huddersfield in West Yorkshire.
