Latest forecast
Ewen McCallum, Head of Forecasting at the Met Office, said: " I don't think we'll be seeing such extreme temperatures during the rest of August but southern parts of Britain will still have a lot of dry and often sunny weather. Further north it will be more changeable with rain returning from time to time."

The day the record was broken
Not only was Sunday 10 August the hottest day in the UK since records began but we also saw temperatures reach the magical 100°F, with Gravesend reaching a scorching 38.1°C / 100.6°F.

The highest temperature previously recorded in the UK was 37.1°C / 98.9°F in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire on 3 August 1990.

It had been a 50:50 chance as to whether the record would be reached but temperatures at 11am had already reached 33°C in some places. The Met Office said that the temperatures for London were some four degrees higher than at the same time on the Saturday and so the likelihood of passing the record increased as the morning progressed.

The heat also sparked off thunderstorms and torrential rain across the North of England, the Midlands and Birmingham, with 15mm of rain in one hour in Coventry, 13.4 mm in Pershore, and 16.6mm in Middlesbrough. Lightning also caused hazard to life in parts of the country, notably Birmingham and Cleveland, with several people being struck.

Making observations - commonly asked questions

How is a record broken?
Temperatures are recorded to the nearest 0.1C, so to beat the current record 38.2C needs to be recorded.

The thermometer in my garden reads 39C - is this a new record?
Unfortunately not! The record can only be broken by a temperature recorded by an official Met Office observation station. The Met Office has 250 observation stations around the country, that record the temperature and report back to Met Office HQ on the hour every hour. Some are automatic, while others are staffed by weather observers.

When will a record be announced?
Meteorologists around the country will be watching their thermometers closely to look out for a new record, which can then be announced immediately. However, if a new record is set at an automatic observation station, this will be announced after 0900 the following day, when climatic observations are taken.

Where is the new record most likely to occur?
The most likely place is away from the coast, where sea breezes can bring down temperatures, and where the temperature has remained high overnight and have dry conditions.

• Thermophobia is a fear of heat.
• In 2002, approximately 63 million barbeques were held in the UK (this doesn't count those that took more than one go to light!)
• The world record for eating the most ice cream in 30 seconds using a teaspoon was set by America's Diego Siu, who ate 264g at the Central Florida Fair, Orlando, Florida, USA, on March 2, 2003.
• Spain was the most popular holiday destination in 2002, with UK residents making 12.6 million visits.
• During the Wimbledon Championships in 2003, 35,000 kg of strawberries, 60,000 pints of Pimm's and 14,000 bottles of champagne were consumed.
• 12 million people in the UK suffer from hay fever each year.
• One out of every five ice cream eaters share their treat with their dog or cat.

Related Articles:

- Review of the Day
- Year in Review - July 2003
- BBCi Health - Heat stroke
- Department of Health - Tips to keep cool
- Traveller's Tips - Hot and Dry
- 1976 Drought
- Making Observations
- Creating your own weather station
- Met Office