Beach-goers took a dip in the sea to cool off before temperatures rise to 91 Fahrenheit later, on what will be a ‘beautiful’ and ‘sunny’ second day of the Bank Holiday weekend, a Met Office forecaster revealed.
Thousands of people descended on Bournemouth beach this morning to make the most of the sizzling temperatures, after the mercury rose to a record-breaking 98F in Heathrow yesterday.
Temperatures are expected to reach 91F today across the east of England, with the sweltering heat mainly hitting London up to East Anglia and Cambridgeshire.
Meteorologist Emma Smith told MailOnline it is set to be ‘a beautiful and sunny day’, with a band of heat mainly affecting the east of England. The entire country should have blue skies today, she added.
People on Bournemouth Beach enjoy the sunshine which is set to continue throughout the long weekend, with even hotter temperatures expected, possibly reaching a record high of 91F, most likely in the south-east of England, on Monday
This woman has donned a light summer dress and sandles and she brings inflatable floats on to the beach in Bournemouth
Many of the beach huts had been opened up today as bathers caught a tan while sitting out in the sun in Bournemouth today
‘We’ve got another beautiful sunny day ahead. There is cloud lingering around the coast of Wales and Northern Ireland could see patchy cloud but the bulk of the country will see plenty of blue,’ She said.
A million visitors were due in Cornwall over the weekend, as 400,000 tourists descend on Brighton. There will be 225,000 people in Blackpool, 200,000 in Bournemouth and 175,000 in Great Yarmouth.
‘Sunshine and the holiday weekend means a double hit of visitors,’ a Brighton seafront spokesperson said.
The Met Office forecast the hottest August Bank Holiday weekend since the holiday was created 54 years ago, as the mercury rises higher in the UK than Antigua, the Caribbean, Hawaii and Mexico City.
And beach-goers made the most of the sunny weather as they lounged on deck chairs outside beach huts and swam in the sea in Bournemouth.
Bournemouth beach was pickled with people who brought large umbrellas and tents with them to offer some shade
The RNLI lifeguards keep a close eye on swimmers as they enjoy the cooling influence of the sea on the Bournemouth coast
This Bank Holiday has smashed previous records for temperatures over the weekend. The Bank Holiday Monday record is 82.7F in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, on August 28, 2017, while the record over the whole holiday weekend is 88.7F which was recorded in Heathrow on August 25, 2001.
It is expected to get even hotter tomorrow, with temperatures potentially soaring higher on an August 26 than they’ve ever been since records began in 1841. The previous record for the highest mercury on an August 26 was 91F in Cromer, Norfolk, in 1864.
The heatwave comes a month after the hottest day ever recorded, on July 25, where temperatures rose to 101F.
Shops were full of people as a record 17 million-strong army of holidaymakers saw beach resorts celebrate the £2.5billion biggest-spending tourism weekend of the year
A bat is used to bury the umbrella’s pole in to the sand so this woman can use it as a shield from the sun. Around her families enjoy sitting out in the sun
But not everyone will be lucky enough to enjoy the heatwave. The west of Scotland, Wales and England could see low cloud, mist and ‘murky conditions’ overnight and in to tomorrow morning, with heavy showers and thunder arriving Monday night.
Emma Smith, Met Office forecaster, added: ‘Tonight there is some low cloud around that will come to settle over the west of Scotland, Wales, and western England.
‘There will be low cloud, mist and murky conditions. It will be a warm night tonight, perhaps uncomfortable for some in the east. Overnight temperatures will be 60F and 66C towards London.
A group of people sitting outside their beach hut read newspapers, magazines and books as temperatures are expected to soar to 91F later this afternoon
A view of the beach from above early this morning shows families setting up for a day on the beach – after the mercury rose to 98F in Heathrow yesterday
An inflatable unicorn float rests on the sand ready to be used when this family take a trip in to the sea in Bournemouth
As the day progressed more and more people descended on the beach. Record traffic jams are expected as sun-lovers clog coastal routes including the A23 to Brighton, A31 to Dorset, A30 to Cornwall and M55 to Blackpool today and tomorrow
‘Tomorrow there’s quite a grey start in the West but that low cloud will start to life up but will linger around coast areas in Wales and the south west.
‘It will be a beautiful bank holiday Monday. We could see 33C tomorrow in the West.
‘Later on in the day through the afternoon we have a risk of a few showers in the west. These will be on the heavy side and there is a risk of thunder as well.’
A band of rain will make its way across from the Atlantic, hitting the western isles of Scotland tomorrow night. By dawn tomorrow morning there will be showery outbreaks in Wales while the south east of England stays clear.
A woman sits alone reading under the shade of an umbrella outside a beach hut in Bournemouth. It is expected to get even hotter tomorrow, with temperatures potentially soaring higher on an August 26 than they’ve ever been since records began
‘On Tuesday the heat becomes concentrated in the southeast. Showers will be on the heavy side with the risk of thunder at times. But then it will start to calm down,’ Ms Smith said.
‘It will be much dryer on Thursday. In the early hours of Thursday there is a risk of mist and fog patches. It looks like it will turn more unsettled next weekend.’
Record traffic jams are expected as sun-lovers clog coastal routes including the A23 to Brighton, A31 to Dorset, A30 to Cornwall and M55 to Blackpool today and tomorrow.
Traffic analysts Inrix said: ‘There could be record delays.’
And Tesco’s long weekend sales are expected to total 1.5million sausages, a million burgers, six million ice cream tubs and lollies, five million cans and bottles of beer and six million bottles of wine, according to sales trends.
A record 17 million-strong army of holidaymakers saw beach resorts celebrate the £2.5billion biggest-spending tourism weekend of the year. 8.6m people are taking UK holidays this weekend, with eight million on daytrips, said VisitEngland, which said the holidaymakers total is an August Bank Holiday record.
Weekend domestic tourism spending is pushing £2.5bn – the highest of the year – spending data and resorts’ analysis shows.
Brits’ average daily UK tourism spend is £222m but increases 50 per cent in summer, VisitEngland data shows. Hot weekend days see spending treble, added Bournemouth and Brighton business chiefs.
VisitEngland said: ‘It’s a strong summer and late bookings are rising.’