Image source, PA Media

A new record was set for the hottest start to any May on record on Thursday, with temperatures reaching 29.3C (84.74F) in London.

That high, which was recorded at Kew Gardens beat the previous record of 27.4C (81.3F), which was set in Lossiemouth, Scotland, in 1990, the Met Office said.

Much of the UK basked in heat well above the average for the time of year, though conditions were cooler in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The spell of hot weather was triggered by an area of high pressure which had become blocked over the UK, leading to a sustained south-easterly air flow bringing warm conditions.

Thursday was also the hottest day of the year so far, beating the previous high of 26.7C recorded in Wisley, Surrey earlier this week.

Temperatures in London soared above several European cities, including Athens and Rome.

We are now closing our live coverage, but you can read more in our news story.

Thank you for joining us.

Matt Taylor
BBC Weather

After a record-breaking start to May, the heat is going to last into Friday across areas of southern England.

However, as we have seen across northern parts of the UK today, a change to something cooler has begun.

This bank holiday weekend the temperatures will continue to slide and by Bank Holiday Monday many areas will see temperatures at or even slightly below average for the time of year.

Darren has the full prospects for the weekend on our Weather for the week ahead.

A temperature of 29.3C has been recorded at Kew Gardens in London, just over 1C higher than the record-beating temperature recorded there earlier today, the Met Office confirms.

The highest temperature recorded in Wales was 27.4C at Cardiff Bute Park.

Zhara Simpson
Reporting from Plymouth

From university students studying to people enjoying a bite to eat, people have flocked to Plymouth Hoe to enjoy the sunshine.

At Mrs Whippy, an ice cream van along the front, the owner Sarah Mckeich tells me it has been a good week for business.

“It has been very busy, even with the children back at school,” she says.

“I love the sunshine, and it makes everyone smile.”

University of Plymouth students, Rebecca Mugford and Veronica Estrada, said they were studying in the sunshine ahead of their psychology exams.

"Rather than sitting in a library and being stuck in a dark room, we thought why not combine the two, revise and sit out in the sun and make the most of it,” Rebecca says.

She adds that their mood is “much better” for being outdoors.

Matt Taylor
BBC Weather

We were saying earlier how the current heat has likely been boosted by how dry the ground is – a drier ground heats and then warms the air above it much quicker than damp ground.

We can now put some numbers on how dry April was.

A few sites in North East England have had less than 10% of their average rainfall - these are Leeming (6%), Topcliffe (8%) and Durham (8%). Both Leeming and Topcliffe have had their driest April since 2011. The Tyne and Wear area is the driest area overall with just 7% the normal April rainfall.

Areas across southern England, where temperatures have been highest today, had between a third and a half of the usual April rain.

And the dry weather wasn’t just limited to England. The site at Dyce (Aberdeen) has had its driest April since at least 1957, with just 9.8mm, and its equal fourth driest of any month within that time.

Whilst we will see the return of showers over the next few days for some, the outlook for the next two weeks hints at some areas still seeing very little rain overall.

Simon King
BBC weather presenter and meteorologist

Image source, Getty Images

Temperatures will start to gradually fall after the peak on Thursday.

On Friday, temperatures will drop into the high teens to low twenties for most but with some sunshine and 24C forecast in south-east England, it will still feel warm.

As for the rest of the weekend:

• Saturday – dry for most with some sunny spells, with a threat of showers in the far south. Cloudier for northern Scotland where it'll be around 11-13C. Temperatures elsewhere mostly 16-22C

• Sunday - cloudier along eastern coastal areas of the UK. Sunny spells elsewhere with highs of 13-17C

• Bank Holiday Monday – cloud in eastern and south-east England but sunny spells elsewhere. Highs of 14-17C

Pria Rai
BBC Newsbeat presenter, reporting from Birmingham

Soaking up the sun in Birmingham’s Victoria Square we meet friends Jordan, Phil and Fran.

“You need to take advantage because if this is the summer now… you know what the UK can be like,” Phil says.

“Enjoy it while you can.”

Fran says after last year’s cooler summer, the trio has big plans for making the most of the sun.

“I feel like we didn’t get the summer this early last year, so it feels stunning,” she says.

“I will be in the pub every day for the foreseeable. Sun’s out, we’re out.”

A provisional temperature of 29.1C has been recorded in Surrey, which is higher than the earlier record-breaking temperature of 28C recorded at Kew Gardens in London earlier today.

It was already the warmest start to the month of May.

This is listed as provisional as all temperatures need to be checked at the end of the day for glitches and misreporting.

Matt Taylor
BBC Weather

The Met Office have released their weather statistics for April and say it has been the sunniest April for the UK since records began in 1910.

The mean temperature (the combination of day/night temps) was the third highest for the UK since records began in 1884.

There was just over half of the average rainfall for the UK.

On a county-wide scale, the wettest area was Cornwall with 169% of average, while the driest, Tyne and Wear, had an average of just 7%.

Plenty of photos are coming in to us of those of you lucky to be out and about enjoying the sunshine. Here are some more of our favourites:

Image source, EPA

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

It's time for another check of today's temperatures, which have been sent in by our colleagues at BBC Weather. These are as of 14:00 BST.

The highest temperature of all is still the 28.0C (82.4F) recorded at Kew Gardens in south west London.

• 21.6C Portsmouth
• 15.0C Londonderry
• 24.2C Aberystwyth
• 24.6C Salford
• 11.2C Shetland
• 25.5C Leeds

We've got live cameras streaming from all of the above places - just hit the watch & listen tab at the top of the page to see them.

Katie Thompson
Reporting from Upton-upon-Severn

At Clive’s Fruit Farm in Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire, the hot weather has helped the strawberries do their thing nearly a month ahead of schedule.

Owner Charlie Clive doesn’t want to jinx it, but says it’s the best he’s seen the fruit flourishing in his 35 years at the Worcestershire farm.

“It could be a bumper crop,” he says. “It’s perfect weather for a fruit farm.

“This year has been so much easier and better. Last year we were still in mud and puddles at this time.”

It’s absolutely sweltering under these covers in the fields, which stay on all summer. The farm also produces raspberries, cherries, plums, apples and pears.

Fruit picking usually starts at the beginning of June, but the hot spell means the farm could do a couple of weekends in May.

Today, we picked the first strawberry of the season. I’d love to tell you how it tasted but I can’t because my colleague got in there first!

Matt Taylor
BBC Weather

At 14:00 BST south-east England was one of the warmest spots in Europe, putting the likes of the Algarve in Portugal, Spanish Costas and the Greek islands in the shade.

With London at 28C (82F), only the only major capital to be hotter was Paris at 29C.

Signs of change were evident across the north of the UK, with Glasgow already eight degrees cooler than the same time yesterday.

Mark Poynting
Climate reporter

As the planet warms, the UK is getting more intense hot weather, while very cold weather is becoming less common.

Back in July 2022, parts of the country reached 40C for the first time on record.

That led to widespread disruption, including a surge in 999 calls, power cuts and railways buckling in the heat.

The UK also appears to be getting more “very wet days” – the term the Met Office uses to describe days with at least 10mm (0.4in) of rain.

Many farmers, for example, were hit by the particularly wet winter of 2023/24.

The Met Office expects winters to continue to get wetter on average as the climate changes, while summers could get drier.

Barra Best
BBC News NI weather presenter

Cooler and cloudier weather returned to Northern Ireland on Thursday following a peak of 24.1C (75F) on Wednesday.

That was just 0.4C below the April record of 24.5C, which was set In Londonderry in 1984.

The average maximum daily temperature for Northern Ireland in April is 12C.

Although the upcoming bank holiday weekend won’t be as warm, temperatures are still expected to be a few degrees above the May average.

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/Joan

Matt Taylor
BBC Weather

When we see heat records challenged in the UK there is often an influence of air coming from Iberia or north Africa involved.

This is not the case this time round. Instead, we have seen a large area of high pressure sitting across the UK all week. High pressure is essentially a huge zone in the atmosphere where air is actually descending towards the ground.

When air descends, it warms and this has been happening cumulatively over a number of days, with each day getting warmer.

On this occasion the area high pressure has also come with clear and sunny skies. Full days of sunshine have also helped to warm the air and ground.

The lack of rainfall in many areas this spring has meant the ground is very dry right now too. A dry ground warms much more quickly in the sunshine than damp ground and so warms the air above it more quickly too.

To break the cycle of warming we need either strong winds, a change in wind direction or the arrival of cloud or rain.

The first two we will see over the next 24 hours.

Want the latest forecasts and updates on the conditions outside? Then download the BBC Weather app using these easy steps.

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The app is only available to download in the UK.

Matt Taylor
BBC Weather

It’s not just the UK where this current spell of heat has broken records.

According to Met Éireann, Ireland’s national weather service, yesterday the country provisionally recorded it’s hottest April day on record.

A temperature of 25.9C (79F) was recorded at Athenry, County Galway exceeding the previous one of 25.8C registered in 1984.

It’s only the second time on record that a temperature of 25C or more has been recorded in April.

We've had another update from our colleagues at BBC Weather, who've sent us some of the temperatures recorded around the country as of 13:00 BST.

• 23.3C Portsmouth
• 13.0C Londonderry
• 23.8C Aberystwyth
• 28.0C London
• 23.5C Salford
• 9.2C Shetland
• 25.1C Leeds

And, as we've just reported below, the highest temperature of all is the 28.0C at Kew Gardens in south west London.

We've got live cameras streaming from all of the above places (bar Charlwood) - just hit the watch & listen tab at the top of the page to see them.

The Met Office has confirmed that Thursday is the warmest start to May on record after a 28C temperature was recorded at Kew Gardens in south west London.

Temperatures are still climbing, it adds.

This beats the previous record of 27.4C set at Lossiemouth in Scotland in 1990.