I’m melting, so how long is this May UK heatwave going to last?! The exact number of days

The UK just broke a record for the hottest day in May EVER, but how long is this heatwave actually going to last? Here’s how many more days of not being able to sleep and sticking your head in the freezer you have to endure.

It reached 34.8°C in Kew Gardens on bank holiday Monday, beating the previous record of 32.8°C, which was reached in both 1922 and 1944. And it’s even hotter today, Tuesday 26th May.

“Today has been the hottest day in May on record with Kew Gardens provisionally reaching 34.8°C – exceeding the previous highest May temperature in the UK by a full 2 degrees Celsius. This heat would be exceptional in the UK even in mid-summer, let alone in May,” the Met Office wrote on Twitter. 

And it’s not cooling down any time soon.

Today has been the hottest day in May on record with Kew Gardens provisionally reaching 34.8°C – exceeding the previous highest May temperature in the UK by a full 2 degrees Celsius🌡️

This heat would be exceptional in the UK even in mid summer, let alone in May📈 pic.twitter.com/d8boJYgaXJ

— Met Office (@metoffice) May 25, 2026

So, how long is this UK heatwave actually going to last?!

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Temperatures are going to drop slightly after Tuesday, so you don’t have to deal with this crazy 35-degree heat for much longer, but it’s still going to stay very, very hot for the next five days.

Tuesday 26th is going to hit 36 degrees across parts of the UK. Then, it’s going to stay boiling, with highs of 33°C on Wednesday 27th, 32°C on Thursday 28th, 30°C on Friday 29th and 29°C on Saturday 30th, the Met Office has revealed. All with pure sun every day too.

Things finally cool down on Sunday 31st and Monday 1st when it’s set to drop to 23 degrees and cloudy across lots of the UK. Hallelujah. That means you’ve got precisely five days left of heatwave weather before it gets a lot more bearable. In early June, it’s then set to drop down even more to 16 degrees and rain in parts of the UK. Great. That’s going to feel freezing!

Met Office Chief Operational Meteorologist Dan Suri said: “We’ve now provisionally broken the spring and May temperature record. Meteorologically, what we’ve seen is the influence of warmth building under an area of high pressure near the UK allowing exceptional heat to build allowing maximum and minimum temperatures to reach levels not previously reported at this time of year.

“Further heat is in the forecast for much of England and Wales, with similar temperatures forecast for Tuesday. High pressure is forecast to gradually lose its influence later in the week, though maximum temperatures will still remain high and in the low 30°Cs for some mid-week and high 20°Cs late this week.”

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Featured image credit: Canva