Today is set to be the hottest start to May on record, with temperatures set to hit 29C.

Highs of 26.7 °c were seen in southeast England on Wednesday, alongside 24.4 °c in Aberdeenshire, Scotland’s hottest April temperature since 2019. Wales and Northern Ireland both had their second-hottest April day on record. UV levels throughout the UK were high, staying moderate in Scotland.

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But today is set to be hotter still, with forecasts of 29C. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, there will be some cloud and showers, and temperatures will be at the early May average of 13C to 17C. There could also be thundery showers across the midlands and the east of England.

This is being caused by an area of high pressure slowly moving across the UK. It is being fed with warm air from north Africa and the Mediterranean.

The Bank Holiday is set to be cooler, with temperatures sitting in the high teens and low twenties. There will be highs of 24C and sun in the south-east.

It has been suggested that these high temperatures, being far above the monthly average, are due to climate change. The previous hottest start to May was in 1990, when it got to 27.4C.

Data from the independent climate research group Climate Central suggests that temperatures this week have been made at least five times more likely.

A changing climate is also leading to more blocked patterns, where weather will stay in one area for longer, such as a heatwave or a storm.