Hot and bothered Brits have taken to social media to bemoan their sleepless nights claiming it was ‘too hot to sleep’ after the hottest day of 2024 so far yesterday.
Parts of the UK saw temperatures as high as 34.8C on Monday – a two-year record set in Cambridge – as people sought refuge in parks and beaches.
Nevertheless, Brits maintained their sense of humour despite a rough night’s sleep and gave the sweltering night the meme treatment, with Peep Show and James McEvoy featuring.
One apt clip shared on social media saw David Mitchell, as Mark Corrigan in the Channel 4 sitcom, shouting: ‘It’s too hot. It’s too b***** hot! It’s ruining everything. Tell it to stop!’
A gif of the rant was shared by one X user with the caption: ‘It’s (sic) too hot to sleep. It’s too hot to stay in the house. It’s too hot to go out. Bring me autumn PLEASE.’
Another clip used by Brits to exclaim their discomfort at last night’s heat was a scene from 2008 film Wanted which sees a young James McEvoy fanning himself while drenched in sweat.
Sharing the gif, someone commented: ‘It’s so hot, I can’t sleep.’
Children’s toy company Cosy tried to capitalise on more people being up late at night than usual by posting: ‘If you’re here scrolling because it’s too hot to sleep then say hi!’
As social media users stayed up into the early hours, many declared that they had ‘given up’ on sleeping, yearning for the return of rain and wind.
One wrote: ‘Well…this went well…too hot and uncomfortable, tried laying in many positions that I’ve now made my legs ache and just getting more frustrated by the fact I can’t fall asleep – it’s 2:40 am and I’m thinking of giving up on trying to sleep.’
Another shared: ‘Sat outside in the garden in my pants once again; can’t sleep, can’t settle & too hot.’
As morning broke X users awoke, or not as the case may have been, to share their experience of the warm night after its conclusion.
One said: ‘I don’t know about you but I found it far too hot to sleep last night, I felt like a pork chop in a slow cooker.’
While temperatures are mercifully set to come down to a more bearable maximum of around 26C today, yesterday was too much for many.
The highest temperature recorded was 34.8C (94.64F) in Cambridge, after the 2024 record was broken at 1pm at Wisley in Surrey with 32.4C (90.3F).
Brits seized the opportunity in classic fashion to get outside and go to the beach, or a park, to soak up the sun.
Commuters in London were not so lucky – as they were forced to cool themselves down with fans on their muggy journeys on the tube.
It was an altogether different story for areas in the North of England and Scotland where a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms was in place and the Met Office confirmed 15,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the UK in the 24 hours to midday on Monday, with most of these in northern areas.
The short-lived hot weather is expected to subside in the next few days with cooler temperatures forecasted as well as scattered showers across the country – and no weather warnings.
Yesterday’s maximum easily beat the previous hottest day of 2024 which was July 30 when 32.0C (89.6F) was recorded in London at both Kew Gardens and Heathrow.
The day’s high also exceeded the highest temperature recorded in the UK last year which was 33.5C (92.3F) at Faversham in Kent on September 10, 2023.
But it will not get close to the 2022 high when Coningsby in Lincolnshire made it to 40.3C (104.5F) on July 19 – the hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK.