The extreme heatwas part of a late-winter heatwave affecting much of the US Southwest, with unusually high temperatures also recorded in California, Arizona and Nevada.Discover how Australia set the record for thehottesttemperature on Earth in the last 24 hours. Temperatures above 33C wererecorded across the south-east, including 34C in Teddington, Middlesex, 33.6C in Benson, Oxfordshire, and 33.3C in Wisley, Surrey. The heatis expected to persist through the week, with a 35C peak expected again on Tuesday.

Context Explanation

It is just the latest temperaturerecord to tumble in the UK, which saw its hottest year on the books in 2025, with scientists warning that the country is unprepared for the ever-more frequent heat waves driven by man-made climate change. Scientists are now warning that the planet is heading into another stretch of record-breaking temperatures, with the next five years expected to remain dangerously warm. “What we used to call a July phenomenon is now arriving in mid-May", according to one weather forecaster. Europe is bracing for more scorching temperatures this week following a weekend of record-breaking May heat that swept across parts of the continent.

Insight Material

The all-time heatrecordwas set in Phalodi, a desert town located in Rajasthan’s Thar Desert region. Before this, India’s highest officially recordedtemperaturewas 50.6°C in Alwar, Rajasthan, recorded in 1956. Before last summer, the previous recordedhottest day was in 2016 when the average temperature reached 16.8 degrees Celsius. The European agency said what caused this week’s high temperatureswas a warmer-than-usual Antarctic winter. Studies show that hottertemperatures lead to poorer test scores.

Final Conclusion

Heat waves also force difficult decisions about whether to cancel classes. In France this week, few did, though thousands closed during a hot stretch last June. Many British schools were on break this week.