Kinlochewe declared hottest place in the UK on a sweltering Bank Holiday Monday in Scotland

Bank Holiday Monday is the warmest day of the year so far, with temperatures expected to continue to climb in parts of the UK.

Most recently, a new high of 25.1C was recorded by the Met Office in the Wester Ross village of Kinlochewe.

People flocked to parks and beaches to enjoy the balmy conditions as 24.6C was also recorded in the village of Kinloss in north east Scotland on Monday.

This surpassed the previous high for 2021, set on March 30 at Kew Gardens in south-west London, when the temperature reached 24.5C.

Other areas of Scotland such as Ullapool recorded soaring temperatures of 23C as Scots took to the outdoors to make the most of the warmer weather.

Conditions were similar in Northolt in west London on Monday, where 24.8C has been recorded, while the mercury hovered around 20C in Blackpool and Bristol, according to a Met Office forecaster.

Temperatures are predicted to reach 25C in parts of the UK later on Monday as people enjoy the long weekend and newly restored freedoms following the lifting of many lockdown restrictions.

People paddle in the sea at Portobello beach, near Edinburgh, as Bank Holiday Monday could be the hottest day of the year so far - with temperatures predicted to hit 25C in parts of the UK. (Credit: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)

Although a new benchmark for the year has been set, it is not expected to last for long, as temperatures are expected to climb to 27C (80.6F) on Wednesday before cooler, fresher air moves in.

Becky Mitchell, a meteorologist from the Met Office, warned there could be some thunderstorms on the way.

"There will potentially be some thunderstorms by midweek, the first bout of showers will come into parts of the South West and there will be a few thunderstorms in that," she said.

The storms in the South West are expected to hit on Wednesday, with the South East due a bit of a soaking by Friday.

"There's a chance of some thundery breakdown in the South East and we could have some quite intense storms there," Ms Mitchell said.

"There's still a lot of uncertainty but with the warm and humid weather we are having we have the key ingredients for thunderstorms."

May has been the fourth wettest on record for the UK, and the wettest ever for Wales.

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