// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
UK sees hottest day of the year as 38.1C recorded in Kew Gardens
The UK has experienced its hottest day of the year and fifth hottest day on record, as a heatwave that gripped much of the country peaked at 38.1C on Thursday, the Met Office said.
Kew Gardens in west London recorded England's top temperature, provisionally surpassing the 38C recorded in Lingwood, Norfolk on 26 June.
The latest spell of extreme heat marks the UK's fifth heatwave this year, with the Met Office warning this summer is on course to be the UK's hottest since records began.
An amber heat health alert, warning of significant detrimental impacts to health and social care services is in place across the whole of England until 21:00 BST on Friday.
A cyclist in Birmingham rides through a park scorched by the sun
The only time a temperature this high was recorded twice in a calendar year was in 2022. Overall, it is the UK's fifth hottest day since records began.
Charlwood in Surrey and Pershore in Worcestershire both recorded 37.8C on Thursday, while at Wisley temperatures had hit 37.2C, the Met Office said.
Suzanne Badger who works as the front of house manager at the Pickled Plum pub in Pershore, said people were "walking in off the street, melting".
"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 told the BBC.
The intense heat has made 2026 the first year on record to see three separate days where temperatures reached the 37C threshold.