As we’ve reported earlier, the Met Office has issued a rare red extreme heat warning from 09:00 on Wednesday to 21:00 on Thursday.

It covers parts of southern England, as well as the Midlands and south Wales. It’s the first time Wales has been covered by a red extreme heat warning and only the second time one has been issued by the Met Office.

A red warning is the most severe level of alert. It means dangerous weather is expected, with a high likelihood of risk to life.

It could also lead to failures of critical national infrastructure, such as power cuts or roads and rail lines being closed.

When a red warning is issued, the Met Office advises people to avoid travelling where possible and to follow the advice of the emergency services and local authorities.

Image source, Met Office

Barra Best
NI weather presenter

Northern Ireland will avoid the extreme heat seen in other parts of the UK, but temperatures are expected to climb close to the all-time record this week.

The current record of 31.3C was set in Castlederg, County Tyrone, in July 2021. Thermometers are likely to climb close to that on Thursday.

It’s a similar story in the Republic of Ireland, where an almost 140-year-old record could be threatened.

33.3C was recorded at Kilkenny Castle, County Kilkenny, on 26 June 1887 - almost exactly 139 years ago to the day.

The Irish weather service, Met Éireann, has issued a yellow heat warning from noon on Tuesday until 09:00 on Friday.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Today has been the hottest day of the year so far in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Temperatures reached 28.8C in Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire, and 26.4C in Katesbridge, County Down.

The hottest temperature recorded so far today in England is 32.6C in Wisley, Surrey.

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Katy Austin
Transport correspondent

Image source, PA Media

Britain’s biggest train operator has warned passengers not to travel tomorrow or Thursday unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Greater Thameslink Railway (GTR), which was recently nationalised, includes Southern, Thameslink, Gatwick Express and Great Northern.

There will be fewer trains running tomorrow and Thursday because of speed restrictions imposed for safety. GTR says there could also be short-notice cancellations.

There will be no Gatwick Express from early afternoon Wednesday and Thursday. People can still get to the airport on Thameslink and Southern.

Passengers can get refunds for tickets they’ve bought for today and the next couple of days if they will no longer be travelling.

A number of other train operators have already warned of reduced timetables and told people to travel only if necessary over the next two days.

Those who do need to go are advised to go at cooler times of day if possible, and carry water.

Simon King
Lead weather presenter

This heatwave’s likely to feel hotter and more uncomfortable for many of us, not just because of the record-breaking temperatures, but also because of the humidity.

If the air is more humid, it contains more moisture. That means sweat on our skin can’t evaporate and cool us down as effectively as it would if the air was dry.

As a result, it might feel warmer than the actual air temperature, and that can be calculated.

The BBC Weather website and app show you what the "feels like" temperature is.

Take Reading this afternoon, for example. The air temperature is expected to reach around 33C, but with a relative humidity of 44%, that will make it "feel like" 40C.

The "feels like" temperature may be more noticeable overnight, when it may still feel like 27C even at the coolest part of the day.

And that’s not even taking into account how your bedroom may be hotter, where you’re lying down in one position without a breeze or airflow to help take away the sweat.

Prepare for some uncomfortable nights.

Mark Poynting
Climate reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The UK’s homes are generally poorly designed for extreme heat, and rising temperatures due to climate change amplify those risks. But there are still some simple steps you can try.

It can help to pull your curtains and keep your windows closed during the day. If it’s warmer outside than inside, opening windows will let that warmth into your home. Open them when outdoor temperatures drop to allow cooler air to flow in.

Another trick is putting a bucket of ice in front of a fan to blow colder air around the room - taking care to keep water away from electrics!

If you own your home, there are more fundamental steps you can take. External shutters can help prevent direct sunlight from hitting your windows in the first place. Trees or awnings can provide shade. And, much like many Mediterranean homes, white paint can help reflect some sunlight, keeping your house cooler.

Air conditioning systems can help too, but are energy-intensive. You could consider improving your home’s insulation, which can help keep the heat out in summer and the cold out in winter.

Mark answers a reader's question every week in the Future Earth newsletter. Sign up here to receive the latest climate and environment news every Tuesday.

Image source, PA Media

Wales could see its "highest temperatures ever recorded" over the next two days, First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth has warned.

"We must ensure that vulnerable people are looked after as a priority," he tells the Senedd during first minister's questions.

The most at risk are older people, babies and very young children, ap Iorwerth says.

It comes as a Met Office red warning for extreme heat covers parts of Wales and England, beginning at 09:00 BST on Wednesday and running to 21:00 on Thursday.

The Eiffel Tower is closing early to the public today because of high temperatures.

The Paris landmark will close at 16:00 local time, although its operator has given no further information on whether it will reopen as usual on Wednesday.

"We apologize for the inconvenience," a message on its website says.

Temperatures in Paris are forecast to reach 37C in the next hour, according to the Met Office.

Image source, Reuters

Ken Banks
North East Scotland reporter

Image source, MrsK / BBC Weather Watchers

Scotland is expected to see temperatures peak on Thursday.

BBC Scotland weather forecaster Judith Ralston says that by Thursday temperatures of 29C or 30C could be seen in Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway, the Borders and South Lanarkshire.

Scotland needs to see 25C for three consecutive days to officially reach heatwave status, and she expects that to happen.

Meanwhile, Network Rail says its meteorologists and specialist engineering teams will be closely monitoring conditions across Scotland, in case the heat causes any issues.

Conditions are expected to be cooler when the weekend arrives.

Simon King
Lead weather presenter

During summer heatwaves, we tend to get a lot of comments saying "this is just summer".

And, yes, while we do get warm and hot spells, the heatwave we’re experiencing this week is not normal.

Temperatures across the UK - and indeed Europe - are up to 16C above average for the end of June.

This temperature anomaly map - or the temperature compared to average - shows clearly how much hotter than a normal June summer it is this week across the UK.

Breaking record temperatures is also not something that happens often, especially by the margins that we’ll see in the UK and Europe over the coming days.

It is even rarer to have two consecutive months where the monthly high-temperature record is broken. You have to go back over a century to 1911 for the last time this happened.

But, with human-induced climate change, the heatwaves we’ve been experiencing over the last few years are going to become more normal.

Nathan Standley
Education reporter

We've continued to look through council and school websites for those that are closing - partially or fully - today and later this week.

We've seen 64 more schools listed, compared to our earlier update, taking the total to 312.

The vast majority of those are in the south of England, where the red weather warning is in effect from 09:00 BST tomorrow until 21:00 BST on Thursday.

There are 38 schools in West Berkshire, 19 in Oxfordshire and 15 in Hampshire, for example. Bridgend County Borough Council, in south Wales, is reporting that two of its schools are closing early today too.

The true total number of closed schools is likely to be much higher though, as many councils do not publish lists of schools which have to close unexpectedly due to extreme weather, and a full list is not collated centrally.

Lots of schools are also part of multi-academy trusts, which may not appear on council lists if they are closed either.

Bernadette McCague
Your Voice reporter

Image source, Rory Hanaway

We've been sent this photo of stormy weather over the Houses of Parliament by Rory Hanaway, who was on an early morning walk along the River Thames.

"It was torrential rain and a thunderstorm raging overhead," he says. He took the photo at the bottom of the stairs off Westminster Bridge on the South Bank.

• For the latest on the political - as opposed to meteorological - storms in Westminster, read our politics live page

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for a "fast, fair transition to clean energy" during an address at London Climate Action Week, as London braces for record June temperatures.

Referencing Charles Dickens’ novel A Tale Of Two Cities, he told attendees the world is facing a "tale of two crises" - both caused by "destructive" fossil fuels.

"A climate crisis is pushing us deeper towards higher temperatures and closer to catastrophic tipping points and an energy crisis exposing the folly of a world hooked on hydrocarbons," the UN chief said.

"London isn’t just calling. It’s cooking."

Image source, PA Media

With temperatures rising across the UK today, people in Cullercoats Bay, North Tyneside, have been taking to the North Sea to cool off:

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Reuters

A nuclear power station near Toulouse in France has stopped generating electricity due to the extreme heat.

The operators of the Golfech nuclear plant decided to switch off a reactor because the plant is cooled by water from the nearby river Garonne which has become too warm - beyond the safe level of 28C.

Simon King
Lead weather presenter

The current June all-time record is 35.6C, set in 1976.

That could be marginally beaten this afternoon as the temperature is expected to peak at around 36C in Greater London.

However, it will easily be exceeded in the next few days as temperatures are forecast to reach 38C or even 39C on Wednesday and Thursday.

That would beat the old record by up to around three degrees, which would be an extraordinary amount.

This also comes weeks after we had the hottest May day on record in the UK and the first time since 1911 that two consecutive months have observed record temperatures.

It’s also likely that Wales will have its hottest June day on record if 33.7C is exceeded.

With some weather forecasts suggesting 40C, there’s a small chance we’ll be close to the UK’s highest temperature ever recorded of 40.3C, set in Coningsby in 2022.

We’re also likely to see June’s warmest night on record should the temperature not fall below 22.7C - which is possible in the coming nights in south-east England.

Image source, PA Media

Jack Grey
Live reporter

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers / zinterzog

Intense storms and very hot weather have been causing disruption across the UK overnight and on Tuesday morning.

Thunderstorms swept across England last night ahead of a day forecast to be the hottest June day on record.

Here's what's been happening:

A stormy night

• This morning, Transport for London cancelled all Elizabeth line trains between Heathrow terminal 4 and terminals 2 and 3 due to the flooding overnight, but service has since resumed
• It comes as the Met Office reports that 29,000 flashes of lightning were recorded across southern England throughout the night
• The London Fire Brigade reports it has received more than 400 calls since midnight, after heavy rain led to flooding and at least two house fires were caused by suspected lightning strikes

Rail disruption on Tuesday morning

• Transport for London (TfL) says the entire Mildmay overground line is operating at reduced service due to "hot weather mitigation"
• Transport for Wales (TfW) has cancelled rail services between Pontypridd and Cardiff Bay and between Heath Low Level and Penarth due to severe weather

• While Avanti West Coast and Great Western Railway both say they are running fewer trains on some routes due to severe heat forecast
• National Rail has urged people to "please only travel if absolutely necessary" due to severe weather warnings in place

Nathan Standley
Education reporter

Image source, Getty Images

We know there are at least 248 schools across England and Wales that are at least partially closed over the next three days because of the hot weather.

The number of schools which close due to extreme weather isn't collated centrally, so we've scoured through council websites to dig through lists of affected schools, most of which are situated in the red weather warning zone.

There are 83 in Somerset, 54 in Gloucestershire and 51 in Buckinghamshire, for example. Many of them are closing early today.

Some schools are fully closed tomorrow and Thursday, others are closing their doors early, and some are staying open but inviting parents to collect their children before the end of the school day if they wish.

But the true total number is likely to be higher, as some councils do not publish lists of schools when they close because of the weather, and many schools are part of academy trusts which also don't appear on the lists.

Guy Hedgecoe
Reporting from Madrid

Image source, Reuters

The north-eastern Spanish region of Aragón is seeing some of the highest temperatures of the heatwave and, in the cities of Zaragoza and Huesca, local authorities have responded by reducing the price of entry for public swimming pools.

The northern city of Logroño, which is expecting temperatures of up to 40C (104F) today, has made entrance to swimming pools free for the duration of the heatwave and authorities there have announced that ornamental water fountains will be turned on uninterruptedly between 11:00 and 23:00.

People can also cool off under water sprinklers, which have been switched on in several areas of the city.

Several cities and towns have suspended the traditional burning of a bonfire to celebrate the festival of San Juan (John the Baptist), because of the fire risk posed by extreme conditions.

The northern city of León has cancelled a fireworks display, which had been scheduled for tonight to mark the festivities.

Meanwhile, many cities have made available “heat refuges”, which are air-conditioned public buildings where anyone can go in and escape the worst of the weather.

A 2024 law seeks to protect Spanish workers during heatwaves, ensuring employers take safety measures, including making sure outdoor manual work is not done during the hottest time of the day.