Adam Goldsmith
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

The UK has seen its hottest day of the year so far.

The Met Office reported a provisional recording of 38.1C at Kew Gardens in London - nudging past the previous record of 30C set in Lingwood, Norfolk, in June.

Only four days have ever been hotter than today in the UK and an amber extreme heat warning is in place for parts of England until midnight, while a thunderstorms warning is in place for Northern Ireland until 06:00 tomorrow morning.

Today's heat won't last much longer, as a change to a north-westerly breeze tomorrow will bring a drop in temperature - though the Met Office is warning there's another warm evening ahead for many tonight.

Rain is expected to arrive in more places over the weekend, but as our climate and science team reports, it will take more than showers to bring the UK's widespread drought to an end.

We're closing our live coverage there, but you can find more in our news story.

Ben Rich
Lead weather presenter

Some southern parts of England have now seen no rain for nearly two months, and with Wales and over two-thirds of England in drought the big question for many is – when will it rain?

Northern and western parts of the UK have seen some showers today, with a Met Office yellow warning of thunderstorms in force in Northern Ireland throughout tonight.

More showers are expected in places over the weekend but as we move into next week the chances of more widespread rain will increase somewhat.

Low pressure is expected to be closer to our shores meaning there will be wet weather at times, although computer models vary significantly in terms of where the wettest weather will be – so rain in any particular location cannot be guaranteed.

And even if some precipitation does arrive, it would take a prolonged spell of persistent rain to begin to alleviate the ongoing drought conditions.

Kate Stephens
BBC senior science producer

Image source, Getty Images

Southern Water has moved a step closer to finding out if it can impose stricter measures to preserve dwindling water supplies.

The company applied to the government for a "drought order" on 31 July 31 which would allow them to take water from the River Test .

They have also applied for permission to impose restrictions on some business use, such as commercial car washes and watering plants in garden nurseries. It is called a Non-Essential Use Ban (NEUB).

The window for public objections on those two applications closes today.

The Environment Secretary will then have to approve it. But the last time such a ban was granted was 20 years ago.

According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) the application will be reviewed "immediately and a decision made as soon as reasonably possible, depending on the complexity of the case in question".

Nine water companies already have domestic hosepipe bans - but those do no not need direct government approval.

It’s believed other companies will follow Southern Water’s lead in applying for further restrictions.

Helen Briggs and Kate Stephens
Climate and Science team

Image source, Ali Ihsan Ozturk/AFP/Getty Images

Birds' homes, sources of water and food are all being threatened by the heatwaves.

Nesting sites like peatland and heathland are under threat from wildfire, while species such as swifts, that nest under roof tiles and in eaves are seeing those spaces overheat.

Birds do have inbuilt systems to keep cool. The RSPB says birds may pant, flutter their throats or even poo on themselves to keep cool.

As drought continues across England and Wales we are seeing the loss of ponds and wetlands - important habitats for birds and other species including great crested newts and natterjack toads.

The RSPCA is urging people to help by regularly putting out clean water in containers.

Even if the hot weather eases off it has been altering seasonal patterns. Blackberries are ripening earlier than usual, so much needed food won’t be available to wildlife in colder months.

Anna Whittaker
BBC Radio Nottingham

Staff at Nottingham University Hospitals are looking at new ways to combat the challenges of working in a 1970s building.

Emily Brookes, the trust's net zero lead, is carrying out a "thermal audit" of the Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital using a device attached to her phone to find the hottest areas.

"One of the main things we've been trying to do is go back through the last five or six years of data that we've got of heat complaints from our staff and patients to really try and identify where the problem areas are on-site," she explains.

"I've been going round those areas and trying to identify where we're seeing heat leakage."

She adds: "One of the things that has surprised me is how much heat output there is from old computers. Some laptops and computer screens are running at over 40 degrees and the base temperature of the room itself is over 30C. It starts to become an unsafe environment to work in."

Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent

Image source, National Trust/PA

This year’s record heat is "as good as it gets" until we reduce our emissions of planet-warming gases to net-zero, the government’s top adaptation adviser warned yesterday.

Baroness Brown leads the UK’s independent Climate Change Committee adaptation work.

She told the Press Association: "It gets worse from here. Until we get to net-zero, things go on getting worse."

The statement is a blunt assessment of where we are now. In her view this challenging summer is not a new normal that people can grow used to but instead it marks the coolest, least-severe conditions that Britain can now expect – with each year likely to bring more difficult conditions until greenhouse gases reach net-zero.

Speaking to the BBC last month she said the run of very hot summers, 2022, 2024, 2025 and now this year showed how the danger was accelerating.

She says the death toll looks likely to exceed the estimated 3,000 seen in an extreme summer. More than 2,000 deaths were estimated after just the first two heatwaves of this summer, according to a study by the Met Office, Imperial College London and the UKHSA.

Sanjana Idnani
Live reporter

I’ve been out with an outreach team in Redbridge who provide support to rough sleepers. The team - operated by the Single Homeless Project - works all year round to conduct welfare checks.

But on extremely hot days like this, they are also giving out hot weather packs to help people experiencing homelessness cope with the sun. They include a water bottle, sun cream, electrolytes, deodorant, lip balm, and wet wipes.

The charity has also been directing people to the Welcome Centre - a day centre for rough sleepers where they can shower and get food, drink, and shelter.

Mark Martin has been rough sleeping for around four months. He says that being out on the streets in the heat has caused his legs to swell up because his body has been trying to retain water - which has led to him needing hospital treatment.

"I don't know how I would have coped without the Welcome Centre," Martin says.

"When I come here, I can relax and spend a few hours out of the heat. I can take bottles of water and that helps me keep cool overnight because if you go a lot of hours without drinking, the dehydration gets to you," he adds.

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Image source, Suzanne Badger

I just spoke to Suzanne Badger who works as the front of house manager at the Pickled Plum pub in Pershore, Worcestershire, where the temperature of 37.8C has been recorded this afternoon.

"People are walking in off the street melting. We've got all the blinds shut and all the fans on. We usually say it's hotter in the kitchen than outside - but today it's hotter outside. The heat in the kitchen is unbearable, it is 36C in there," she says.

Ben Rich
Lead weather presenter

Since records began, only four days have been hotter than today in the UK – all of them in the 21st century.

The hottest of all was 19 July 2022 when temperatures at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, reached 40.3C – the first and only day that readings above 40C have been seen in the UK.

Before that, the record was 38.7C at Cambridge Botanic Gardens on 25 July 2019.

Faversham in Kent reached 38.5C on 10 August 2003, while on 18 July 2022 a temperature of 38.2C occurred at Pitsford, Northamptonshire.

The iconic summer of 1976 doesn’t even trouble the top 10 – with the highest temperature in that particular hot spell being 35.9C, recorded on 3 July.

Ben Rich
Lead Weather Presenter

The Met Office says temperatures have provisionally reached 38.1C in Kew Gardens which, if confirmed, will mean it is the hottest day of the year so far.

It is the second time the UK has reached 38C this year – the first was at Lingwood, Norfolk, which got to 38.0C on 26 June.

The only time a temperature this high has been recorded twice in a calendar year was in 2022.

Overall, it is the UK’s fifth hottest day since records began.

In Scotland

Image source, BBC WEATHER WATCHERS/WEE SCONNIE

Cloudy skies have been ever-present on a warm and humid day, as showers could arrive later on this evening.

In Wales

Image source, BBC WEATHER WATCHERS/SUE

All of Wales is currently in drought, and it's been another scorching day.

As we reported earlier, temperatures of 35C are expected, after the country set its hottest day on record on Wednesday with 35.3C (96F) recorded in Gogerddan, which lies about three miles northeast of Aberystwyth.

In Northern Ireland

Image source, BBC WEATHER WATCHERS/TWEETEROFWIT

The Met Office has issued a thunderstorm warning for the whole country, which came into force from 11:00 BST and runs until 06:00 on Friday.

With the atmosphere currently unstable, conditions could set off severe thunderstorms locally. These could bring sudden downpours, lightning, and a risk of hailstones and gusty winds.

Aine O'Donnell
BBC Newsbeat

Temperatures in parts of England could hit 38C today, so BBC Newsbeat took a trip to Birmingham Airport to see if people still thought it was worth heading away.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, we didn’t find anyone who seemed to be regretting their choices.

Friends Josh Mushagalsua and Herbie Cooper told us they were still happy to be heading to Portugal - even though it’s going to be ever so slightly cooler.

"It’s hotter in Birmingham," Josh says.

According to the Met Office, Birmingham is forecast to see temperatures up to 35C, while Lisbon will see temperatures around 31C. Though, if the pair are heading over to Albufeira or Alvor, the temperatures are much closer to Birmingham.

Herbie says he’s happy to be escaping the fifth UK heatwave as "it’s not fun because the air is thick over here, [it’s] too humid".

The guys, both 20, think "it’s not fair" that we don’t have air conditioning in the UK and say they’d still go abroad next year even if it was going to be as hot as 2026.

“We need AC," Josh says, as Herbie points out Portugal "have it everywhere".

Ben Rich
Lead Weather Presenter

Charlwood (Surrey) and Pershore (Worcestershire) have now provisionally recorded 37.8C - just two tenths of a degree shy of this year’s highest temperature so far.

If these figures are confirmed and verified it will mean this historic summer has broken yet another record - for the number of 37C+ days in any calendar year.

A temperature above 37C has only been recorded nine times since records began – three of those occasions have been in 2026.

Helen Briggs and Kate Stephens
Climate and Science team

There is a great deal of uncertainty about whether we will have a wet or dry autumn.

Prof Tim Palmer, of Oxford University, warns that global ocean changes, including a developing El Niño, could influence the UK's winter weather in the months ahead.

But he says if the rains don’t come "it will be catastrophic for the UK in 2027".

"The government needs to start planning for a worst-case scenario where the rains don't return in sufficient amounts this winter, and next summer is similar to the last two," he says.

• What is El Niño and why could it mean record temperatures?

Pria Rai
Presenter, BBC News Live

This is not a question I'm trying to scare you with, but it is something worth thinking about.

Drought has been declared across more than half of England and hot, dry weather is taking its toll on the country's water supplies.

This hot, dry weather is coupled with an increase in demand for water on the hottest days.

From warnings of crop failings to the health implications - I've taken a look in the video linked below into what a drought could mean for you and what can be done to help.

Clue: It’s not all about your hosepipe.

• Watch: How will the drought affect you, and is the UK running out of water?

Gabriela Pomeroy
Live reporter

Image source, Lisa Scott

I've just spoken to Lisa Scott, a councillor in the village of Charlwood in Surrey, which has just recorded a provisional temperature of 37.6C.

"It is absolutely roasting," she tells me from her garden. "When you open the back door you are just hit by the heat."

She says walking outside is "like stepping off a plane in a tropical country. It is oppressive. The verges are brown and crispy. The trees are dying."

"I am in bare feet and the floor is too hot to stand on."

She says the council are trying to create a cool hub, and it is really "exhausting" trying to work in these conditions.

Katie Williams
Live reporter

Image source, Alpaca Lady / BBC Weather Watchers

Temperatures have already exceeded 37C in Charlwood, Surrey, as temperatures are expected to rise further this afternoon.

The mercury could hit 38C in parts of England later this afternoon, the Met Office says, as the UK experiences its fifth heatwave of the year.

The highest temperature recorded so far this year is 38.0C at Lingwood, Norfolk, on 26 June.

An amber extreme heat warning is in place until 23:59 BST tonight across large parts of England. It was extended further west this morning to include parts of Cheshire and Greater Manchester, as well as Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Shropshire and Herefordshire.

Much of the UK is suffering dry conditions, with 71.3% of England and all of Wales in drought. But in Northern Ireland, a yellow thunderstorm warning is in place over the whole country until 06:00 tomorrow.

A&Es in England are experiencing their busiest period ever. An ambulance technician has described working in the heat as "vile", while other healthcare workers have described "dripping with sweat from head to toe".

Meanwhile, a 17-year-old at Birmingham New Street tells the BBC travelling in a heatwave is "like being in a sauna".

We'll be keeping a close eye on the temperatures throughout the afternoon, stay with us.

Ben Rich
Lead Weather Presenter

The Met Office has confirmed that a provisional temperature of 37.6C has been recorded at Charlwood, Surrey.

This means we are not far off the highest temperature recorded so far this year, which was 38.0C at Lingwood, Norfolk on 26 June.

There may still be time for temperatures to climb a little further this afternoon – we’ll keep you posted.

Anna Whittaker
BBC Radio Nottingham

As we've been reporting, A&Es in England are experiencing their busiest summers ever and for hospital patients like 13-year-old April, the heatwaves this year have been particularly difficult.

She's been admitted to the children's hospital at the Queen's Medical Centre six times this year, at one stage staying for three months. Her most recent stay started two days ago.

She has total intestinal Hirschsprung's disease, a rare disorder of the bowel, which means she is limited on what she can eat and means she can only drink 500ml of water a day.

"If I have an ice pop, it's like 100ml of liquid, then I'm only allowed 400ml of water, so it's not great," she says.

"I tend to be more thirsty when it's hot, but I try and stay in front of the fan as much as I can, and that seems to help.

"It's absolutely roasting, it's ridiculous. There's no air conditioning. We use gloves with cold water in them to keep me cool."

Darren Bett
Lead weather presenter

Today is the peak of the heat. A change to a north-westerly breeze tomorrow will bring a drop in temperature.

That change will be accompanied by an area of cloud and showers that will move out of Scotland and Northern Ireland into northern England and Wales.

The Midlands, East Anglia and much of southern England will still be dry and hot, though with temperatures of 30C to 34C.

Although most places will be dry this weekend, temperatures will fall further everywhere with a top temperature of 26C in southeast England by Sunday.

There could even be rain in more places next week with no sign of 30C temperatures returning.