Britons were on high alert for sunburn today with the absence of aircraft in the skies set to give the country its highest levels of ultraviolet radiation on what will be the second consecutive hottest day of the year.
The Met Office said UV rays, which can increase the risk of skin cancer, could reach nine in Devon and Cornwall today, which is ‘about as high as it gets really in the UK’ and are more commonly seen in the Mediterranean.
Temperatures could hit 93F (34C) in Wales and London today with thousands of sun-seekers expecting to pack parks and coastlines again, after the mercury got up to 90.7F (32.6C) in the capital yesterday. Some people were so eager to get a good spot in Bournemouth this morning that they camped overnight on the beach.
More public toilets are also now opening, with up to 3,000 now available for use according to the Lockdown Loo website, including 15 in Brighton and Hove, seven in Bournemouth, six in Eastbourne and six in Blackpool.
But the good weather is due to change tonight as thunderstorms form across the west of the UK, with up to 1.6 inches of rain set to fall in two hours from 4pm along with lightning, hail, strong winds and possible power cuts.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: ‘The sun is as strong as it gets at the moment because we’re so close to the solstice. We’ve got peak sun strength, clear skies, plenty of sunshine – it’s the perfect ingredients for high UV.’
Tents on the Bournemouth beach this morning as people camped overnight on the Dorset coast for the best spot today
Temperatures are expected to hit 33C or 34C in Britain today (left) after the hottest day of the year so far yesterday (right)
The sun rises at Blyth in Northumberland as Britain sweats through a June heatwave with temperatures set to climb further
Among the main reasons for high UV levels given by experts are a hole in the ozone layer that opened earlier this year, and the time of year so near the solstice combined with limited cloud cover and water vapour.
But Michaela Hegglin, a professor in atmospheric chemistry at the University of Reading, added that it was also down to a lack of plane contrails, which normally create clouds reflecting UV rays away from the ground.
But the expert told the Daily Telegraph that the negative impacts of UV levels were massively outweighed weighed by the positive impacts of lower levels of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions during the coronavirus crisis.
She said today could see some of the ‘highest UV levels ever recorded’ in Britain, adding: ‘This is because of a combination of factors. We are at the summer solstice, when the sun is almost directly overhead at 1pm.
‘UV levels this high are rare in the UK, so people with light skin should be very careful to avoid getting burnt. While UV is important for getting vitamin D and keeping us healthy, too much of it can cause skin cancer or cataracts.’
Temperatures reached their peak yesterday at London’s Heathrow Airport at 2.46pm, making it the hottest day of the year so far, beating the previous record on May 29 when Dawyck in the Scottish Borders got up to 84F (28.9C).
People enjoy the water at Warleigh Weir on the River Avon near Bath in Somerset yesterday as temperatures soar
A packed Bournemouth beach yesterday afternoon after the heatwave brought thousands of people out to the seaside
Sunseekers don bikinis and swim shorts as they take a dip in the river at Hackney Marshes in East London yesterday
Beaches in Brighton were packed yesterday as Britain enjoyed a mini-heatwave with temperatures expected to soar again
Families carry their beach equipment and picnics with them as they head to the beach at Durdle Door in Dorset yesterday
Met Office meteorologist John Griffiths said there was a ‘low chance’ that the Welsh Marches – the area along the Welsh border – could see temperatures of 34C (93.2F) ‘very locally’.
Police break up huge party on Brighton seafront with hundreds of youngsters sent home from the beach after scuffles broke out
Police broke up a huge Brighton seafront party last night and sent hundreds of youngsters home after scuffles broke out.
Ten police vehicles were called to Hove Lawns, West Sussex at 8.40pm yesterday amid reports of ‘pockets’ of violence in the gathering.
The youths chanted at the officers, with one eyewitness calling it ‘like a stand-off between hundreds of youths and police’.
Police break up an impromptu beach party where hundreds of predominantly young adults and teenagers on Hove Lawn this evening on the hottest day of the year so far
Locals believe the youngsters ‘would have finished GCSEs and (had) their end-of-year prom’. One resident called the situation ‘pure mayhem’. Officers issued a dispersal order for the green near Grand Avenue.
Councillor Chris Henry said: ‘Let’s not leave our young people behind in the Covid recovery plans.
Police break up an impromptu beach party where hundreds of predominantly young adults and teenagers on Hove Lawn this evening on the hottest day of the year so far
‘It’s understandable that they’re bored and missing their friends, so we need to ensure their safety and develop activities for young adults so that police and the local community can focus on real crime and staying safe from Covid.
‘Hove Lawns tonight shows how badly solutions for young people are needed and how youth services are needed more than ever.’
Should that happen, it would be the hottest June on record in Wales, surpassing the previous peak of 92.7F (33.7C) on June 18, 2000. The UK June record was set on June 28, 1976, when Southampton hit 96.1F (35.6C).
The public has been reminded to take care around water throughout the summer, amid concerns people might be tempted to take a dip to cool down.
It comes as Thames Valley Police said yesterday evening that they had found a body following a search for a missing man at Lulle Brooke in Cookham, Berkshire.
The man, who was in his 30s, was understood to have got into difficulty in the water on Tuesday evening.
Thunderstorms are forecast to form in the south west and south east of England, Wales, western Scotland and Northern Ireland from 4pm today.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather alert for those areas until 9am tomorrow, warning of disruption due to flooding, lightning strikes, hail and wind.
The storms are expected to continue from midday on Friday through to 6am on Saturday, with another yellow warning in place for the whole of the UK.
Areas hit by the storms could experience ‘torrential downpours’ with up to 2in (50mm) of rain falling in an hour.
Yesterday’s good weather saw people flock to beaches in huge numbers despite social distancing measures remaining in place.
The Met Office raised its heat alert level to three, as health authorities encouraged those most vulnerable – many of whom have been shielding during lockdown – to protect themselves amid the ‘exceptionally hot weather forecast this week’.
Public Health England (PHE) said older people, those with underlying health conditions, and very young children were all more at risk from the higher temperatures.
The amber level three, which remains in place for the West and East Midlands, requires social and healthcare services to target specific actions at high-risk groups, according to the Met Office website.
People have been advised to keep cool and stay hydrated where possible.
The Met Office said UV levels were expected to remain at eight across many parts of the UK today.
Emer O’Connell, consultant in public health at PHE, said it was important that people kept checking on the vulnerable, as many continued to spend more time at home due to coronavirus.
‘You will need to do things differently this year, for example keeping in touch by phone,’ she said.
Shoppers have also been advised to be aware they could be forced to spend extra time in the sun as a result of social distancing measures.
And dog owners have been urged to avoid exercising their pets during the hottest part of the day.
Vets Now, a provider of emergency veterinary care, warned that the average survival rate of a dog diagnosed with heatstroke was 50 per cent.
The RSPCA said it had received 330 calls in regard to animal welfare and the hot weather since March 23, adding it was expecting ‘hundreds more’ as temperatures increase this week.
London Fire Brigade has warned people not to have barbecues on dry grass, not to drop cigarettes or matches, and not to leave rubbish such as glass bottles lying around amid a risk they could start fires.