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A UK record has been broken for the number of consecutive September days reaching 30C (86F).
A 30.2C reading in Northolt, west London on Thursday afternoon means the mercury has reached at least 30C in the UK for four days in a row.
The previous September record was three days – in 1898, 1906, 1911 and 2016.
The hot weather is expected to continue into the weekend before temperatures cool next week.
Several locations have reported temperatures in excess of 30C. The current highest hourly temperature of 31.3C was recorded at Charlwood, near Gatwick Airport, at 15:00 BST.
A further record could also be broken this week for the greatest number of September days where temperatures have reached 30C or more in the UK. The current record of five was set in 1911.
The UK experienced its hottest September day since 2016 on Wednesday, with 32C recorded in London’s Kew Gardens.
However, that could be surpassed on Saturday with highs of perhaps 33C in the south-east of England, according to BBC Weather forecaster Gareth Harvey.
“The heat is expected to last on into Friday and for some, into the weekend as well with heat slowly but surely getting pushed further towards the south-east,” he said.
“Our highest temperature recorded this year, back in June at 32.2C, has the potential to be broken over the next few days but is most likely to happen on Saturday.”
He said there was a growing chance of some thundery showers in the north and west this weekend as winds switch to a south-westerly direction and pull in cooler, fresher air from the Atlantic.
The south-east could get 31C on Sunday, while much of Scotland and Northern Ireland will experience temperatures in the low-20Cs, he added.
The mercury reached 30.2C in Whitechurch, Wales on Monday, and 30.7C in Wiggonholt, West Sussex on Tuesday.
Heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense, and last longer because of human-induced climate change.
The world has already warmed by an average of 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions.
