STORY: Temperatures in London were expected to beat those in Athens on Sunday (May 24) as a heat dome settled across parts of the UK and northwestern Europe, threatening to challenge all-time records for weather at this time of the year.

The British Met Office said temperatures were set to hit 31 degrees Celsius (87.8 degree Fahrenheit) late on Sunday afternoon and could rise as high as 34 degrees (93.2F) on Monday, a national holiday in the UK.

Temperatures above 30 degrees in London in May are exceptionally rare. A peak of 34 degrees would be well over 10 degrees above the average for the end of May.

The UK record of 32.8 Celsius set in 1922 and 1944 could be broken on Monday.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MAY 24, 2026) (REUTERS - Access All)

1. (MUTE) DRONE VIEW OF LONDON AT TOWER BRIDGE

2. (MUTE) DRONE VIEW OF PEOPLE SUNBATHING ON DRIED GRASS

3. PEOPLE ON GRASS

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) EVA, A LAWYER, SAYING:

"It has gotten hotter here since I moved (here) in 2019 and it’s getting hotter and hotter and that’s going to raise important issues about climate change and the impact that climate change is going to have not only on the common civilian population here in London, but overall on the farmers, on the wildlife, on how the animals are surviving. Because it’s changing an entire ecosystem."

5. (MUTE) DRONE VIEW OF LONDON SKYLINE LOOKING WEST FROM TOWER BRIDGE

6. SUN SHINING THROUGH TREE / CLEAR BLUE SKIES

7. VARIOUS PEOPLE SWIMMING IN THE SKYPOOL WHICH STRETCHES BETWEEN TWO SKYSCRAPERS AT NINE ELMS, SOUTHWEST LONDON

8. WESTMINSTER BRIDGE, CENTRAL LONDON

9. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE DRINKING WATER, USING UMBRELLAS FOR SHADE, EATING ICE CREAMS

10. 'BIG BEN' CLOCK TOWER

11. MORE OF PEOPLE WALKING ON WESTMINSTER BRIDGE

12. BOAT TRAVELLING IN THAMES RIVER

13. (MUTE) VARIOUS DRONE VIEWS OF PEOPLE AT OPEN AIR SWIMMING POOL IN SOUTHEAST LONDON

14. (MUTE) DRONE VIEW FOLLOWING SWIMMER IN POOL

15. DAVID, A SWIMMER, WITH HIS SON

16. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAVID, SAYING:

"Well, listening to the radio yesterday they said it looks like it’s going to be one of the hottest months of May on record. And, yes, climate change does make a difference."

17. LIFEGUARD LOOKING OUT AT POOL

18. LIFEGUARD/ REFLECTION OF POOL IN SUNGLASSES

19. PEOPLE IN POOL

20. (MUTE) DRONE VIEW OF POOL

21. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FREDERIC, A SWIMMER, SAYING:

"For the moment, it’s like paradise. Since eight o’ clock this morning, I came at eight, really early, from eight to nine thirty. I did my three kilometres swim with my club and then. After that, the children came and for the time being it’s fantastic."

22. SWIMMERS

GREAT BARFORD, BEDFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MAY 24, 2026) (REUTERS - Access All) (MUTE)

23. VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS OF PEOPLE PADDLE BOATING