Adam Goldsmith
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It's not quite been the hottest day of the year, but temperatures peaked at 33C in the UK today as England entered its fourth heatwave of the summer.

As evening draws in, amber and yellow health alerts remain in place for all of England, lasting until 18:00 BST tomorrow.

Our BBC Weather colleagues have a summary of the highest temperatures we've seen today.

In parts of southern Europe, the picture is even more extreme. Our correspondent in Madrid, Guy Hedgecoe, has summarised some of the most devastating fires and their impacts.

Across the day, we've heard reports of firefighters battling more than 100 wildfires in Greece, while aerial footage from Spain captures a charred landscape in the aftermath of a blaze.

With another sizzling day forecast for the UK tomorrow, check out our tips for staying safe during hot weather.

It's something we need to get used to - climate change is making heatwaves both more frequent and more intense, writes our climate editor Justin Rowlatt.

We're ending our live coverage now, but we'll continue sharing updates in our news story.

• Download the BBC Weather app for the forecast where you are

Throughout the day, we've been hearing from you about how have you've been dealing with sweltering temperatures.

Kathryn from Winsford, Cheshire, has some sage advice for staying cool. "Soak a bed sheet in cold water and drape it over you on top of the bed. It’s like having air conditioning on your body and works a treat!"

"I work on a construction site," Tracey from Birmingham tells us. "It hit 33C this afternoon. Run your wrists under cold water to cool your core temp down."

But the heat hasn't quite hit all spots of the country as Richard Muarray in South Lakeland, Cumbria, explains.

"The temperature has never reached more than 22C. There has been rain overnight and odd showers during the day time."

Peter Morgan from Buxton, Derbyshire sent us a video of rain from his front garden earlier in the day.

"Whilst the country swelters, here in Buxton it’s business as usual," he says.

Freya Scott-Turner
Live reporter

Image source, Ben Andrews

"I'm on the verge of walking away from the whole lot," says Ben Andrews, a mixed organic farmer in Herefordshire.

He says the heat and lack of rainfall have harmed his most costly crops - the vegetables - and he's "just trying to will them to grow".

For Ben, the unpredictability is the hardest part. "We're just at the mercy of the elements right now."

Image source, Rachel Hallos

Rachel Hallos is a livestock farmer in west Yorkshire and vice president of the National Farmers Union (NFU).

She says she knows many farmers who have nothing left at all to feed their livestock with and "are having to make very serious decisions about the future of their business".

Rachel says we all need to start taking water shortages more seriously. "If we have another dry winter we’ve got serious issues as a population."

She thinks loosening regulations on the building of reservoirs on farms would be a good first step.

"We can't make it rain, but when it does – we need to make sure we use it.

A little earlier on, we mentioned how in the last decade the number of "very hot" days has trebled compared with the 1961-1990 average, according to the Met Office.

It's part of a growing picture that suggests climate change is making the UK hotter.

The last three years have been in the UK's top five warmest on record, with 2024 the fourth warmest year in records dating back to 1884.

But these warmer days are just one element in how greenhouse gas emissions and human activity is reshaping the UK's climate.

As well as experiencing hotter weather more frequently, the UK is also likely to become a wetter country as a result of climate change.

The Met Office says that between October and March, rainfall in 2015-2024 was 16% higher than in 1961-1990.

We're also getting fewer colder days. Met Office data shows that there were 14 fewer days with air frosts - when the air temperature falls below zero - in the last decade compared to the period from 1931 to 1990.

Guy Hedgecoe
Reporting from Madrid

Image source, EPA

With wildfires burning in many locations across Spain, resources to fight them have been stretched.

The military and civil guard have been deployed to fight a blaze in Ourense, in the north-west, which has been burning since Friday and has disrupted the high-speed rail link between Madrid and Galicia.

Fires in the northern Zamora province and in Tres Cantos, north of Madrid, have also caused damage and disruption.

However, some of the several thousand people who were evacuated from their homes in recent days have been able to return, such as in Tarifa, on the south coast, where firefighters are still trying to bring a blaze under control. High winds across much of the country have hampered such efforts.

In next-door Portugal, which has been seeing similarly extreme temperatures, two Moroccan firefighting aircraft have been helping to battle its own spate of wildfires. The show of support came after a pair of Portugal’s own water-bombers were grounded due to technical problems.

Italy, France and the Balkans have also been hit by unusually high temperatures, triggering health warnings and precautions aimed at preventing further fires.

In Turkey, there was good news as a large fire in the province of Canakkale, in the north-west, was brought under control having forced hundreds of residents to evacuate their homes. Canakkale’s airport and the Dardenelles Strait had been temporarily closed.

As we mentioned in our previous post, southern Europe is facing extreme temperatures. Spain is one of several countries battling wildfires and, in the process, issuing evacuation orders from certain areas.

Aerial footage of the charred landscape of Tres Cantos, near Madrid, gives us a sense of just how devastating these blazes have been. Watch below:

Image source, Reuters

Across parts of Europe, locals are continuing to grapple with extreme temperatures, with firefighters battling wildfires in countries including Spain, Greece, and Portugal.

In Bordeaux, southern France - which is experiencing temperatures above 40C (104F) - locals have been speaking to Reuters news agency about how they're coping with the heat.

Student Floriane says the heat is "really unbearable". She says it's "becoming really suffocating, particularly when you feel like you can't get air".

Image source, Reuters

Despite this, delivery driver Benjamin says he and his peers "don't have a choice" but to work in the heat.

For civil servant Bartholomew, the key is to "take advantage of cool zones in Bordeaux". He says this means going to different businesses to grab a cool drink and enjoy the air conditioning.

"We're looking to cool down however we can," he says.

Sabitha Prasher
BBC Weather

Here's a look at today’s highest temperatures for each of the four nations.

• England - 33.4C in Benson, Ross-on-Wye, and Northolt
• Wales - in 32.8C in Cardiff Bute Park
• Scotland - 29.4C in Charterhall
• Northern Ireland - 27.8C in Armagh

Temperatures may have peaked for today but it will continue to feel hot and humid into the evening and overnight.

Some areas could experience a tropical night where the temperature doesn't drop below 20C.

Tomorrow, the highest temperatures are likely to be further north and east compared to today’s hottest spots, with heatwave conditions expected to continue over the next few days.

Oscar Edwards
BBC Wales

It is not just people who are struggling with the heat today.

Warm, hazy sunshine at the Anglesey Agricultural Show has led to livestock owners taking drastic measures to protect their animals.

The cattle display sheds have introduced large whirring fans to blast cool air towards the cows from front and behind.

It seems to be working as all the cows from the Caradog Fold are standing patiently while show visitors admire them.

Eilwyn Davies and Rhian Thomas, from Pencader in Carmarthenshire, are "keeping a close eye" on their cattle.

“They’re actually really adaptable as a breed, so it’s just while they’re indoors that we need to put them under the fans," says Eilwyn.

Asya Robins
Live reporter

Image source, EPA

There’s no current law in the UK for minimum or maximum workplace temperatures.

But employers have an obligation to keep workplace temperatures at a comfortable level and provide clean and fresh air, in line with health and safety at work law.

Trade union Unite says the government has promised to review health and safety legislation and guidance, and that extreme temperatures need to be prioritised.

“Previously concentration has been on indoor workplaces, leaving workers in construction, where many work outside, in the lurch. Others like agriculture workers are also affected," National Health and Safety Advisor Rob Miguel tells the BBC.

The union calls for a maximum working temperature to be set at 30C and for work to be stopped where temperatures cannot be controlled indoors, or when no protection - such as cooler shaded area - can be provided outdoors.

It also calls for work to be rescheduled to cooler times of the day when needed and for regulations to be introduced on the length of workers’ exposure to hot weather.

As the UK experiences its fourth heatwave this year, we'd love to see how the weather is looking in your area.

You can submit your snaps through the BBC Weather Watchers site.

In the meantime, here's a selection of some of the images that have been sent in so far.

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/Betty's Hot Spot

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/Peter and Leah

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/squiz

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/Swanny

Zoie O'Brien
Reporting from Hampstead Heath

Across the UK's capital, it was already 20C at 07:00 BST.

Now, it has already reached 30C in Hampstead Heath. When we got here this morning, there was a queue snaking its way around the lido with people desperate to get a spot to cool off.

It seems a lot of people are heading to London's (not so) green spaces. A lot of those areas are currently covered in swathes of yellow grass because of the long spells of dry and hot weather.

People I've been speaking to today say it's important to get out of the built-up areas in the city. Their homes feel very hot while parents share that the heat has made the summer holidays a challenge.

Nikos Papanikolaou
BBC News

Image source, Reuters

Greek firefighters are battling 106 wildfires across the country, 63 of which have broken out today alone, the country's fire service has confirmed.

Wildfires in the western city of Preveza have flared up and spread rapidly, reaching the yards of residential properties. Assistance has been requested from Europe, with four firefighting aircraft expected to join the operation.

In Patras, a wildfire is raging out of control as strong winds have driven flames into the grounds of businesses in the city’s industrial zone, damaging equipment and machinery.

Firefighters are attempting to contain it, as the blaze moves towards the coastal village of Alissos and the town of Kato Achaia.

Reports say three people in the area have suffered burns, one with serious injuries.

On the eastern Aegean island of Chios, a forest fire in the area of Chalandra has grown significantly, with flames reaching the villages of Potamia and Pispilounta, where there are reports of houses being destroyed.

Authorities have issued repeated evacuation alerts and fire crews are working to bring the flames under control and prevent further spread.

Spain is among several countries in Europe currently battling a heatwave and wildfires.

In Chandrexa de Queixa, in the north of Spain, a resident describes feeling scared as a wildfire burns just 9km (5.5 miles) away from where he lives.

Image source, London Fire Brigade/X

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) says that the a blaze in Wanstead Flats, in the east of the city, is now under control.

After earlier reporting that around 70 firefighters had attended the scene of the wildfire, the fire service says that crews remain on the scene to fully extinguish the fire.

Meanwhile, the LFB also reports that a grass fire in Northolt, west London, is also under control.

It urges people to avoid the area as firefighters remain on the scene to dampen hotspots.

Helen Wakeham, the Environment Agency's director of water and chair of the National Drought Group, tells BBC Radio 4's World at One programme that managing demand is a crucial element of navigating dry periods of weather.

"We're asking farmers to plan ahead for what might be a dry autumn, we're asking water companies to tackle leaks, and also individuals to do what they can to manage water," she says.

Those measures include some you might expect, like turning off the tap when brushing your teeth or using a water butt.

But Wakeham says deleting old emails also makes a difference to water consumption, citing a National Grid estimate that 6% of the UK's energy use by 2030 will go on storing them.

"So what happens to all of that data is it sits in a date centre, which uses power to run it and also requires water to cool it," she says.

Wakeham adds that it has been "really heartening" to see usage reduce in areas where households have been told to "think carefully" about how they use water, under restrictions such as hosepipe bans.

No broken temperature records yet in Wales, but heat unusual for Augustpublished at 15:56 British Summer Time 12 August

15:56 BST 12 August

Derek Brockway & Sabrina Lee
BBC Meteorologists

Image source, Reuters

It is summer, so hot spells are to be expected, and we haven't broken any temperature records so far this summer yet.

But what is unusual is to have temperatures reaching 33C or more in Wales during the month of August. This has only happened during five Augusts in roughly the past 100 years.

The hot weather is reaching us from southern Europe and higher than normal sea temperatures are helping to boost temperatures as well.

For some parts of Wales this will be the third heatwave in Wales this summer, with the potential for a fourth over the weekend and into the start of next week.

Image source, PA Media

While Greater London residents swelter under the highest temperature recorded so far today, around 60 firefighters are tackling a grass fire in the west of the city.

According to the London Fire Brigade (LFB), "eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters are tackling a grass fire near Arnold Road in Northolt".

It says that "around eight hectares (8,000 sq m) of grass, trees and shrubland is alight" after calls began to come in to the fire service at just after 13:30 BST today.

Separately, the LFB says 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters have been called to a grass fire near Centre Road at Wanstead Flats in the east of the city.

It says "approximately four hectares of grassland" is alight, but adds that the cause of the fire is currently unknown.

Sabitha Prasher
BBC Weather

We've just had the highest temperature recorded today come through at 15:00 BST, with 33.3C at Northolt, Greater London taking the top spot.

A number of sites in southern England, the Midlands and East Anglia have now met heatwave criteria having seen three consecutive days above their threshold temperatures.

Many more locations across the UK are expected to reach their third day on Wednesday.

It means for parts of England this is the fourth heatwave this summer, but how does that compare to other years?

The Met Office has only had its heatwave criteria for a few years and there is no official list of heatwaves before that time.

Temperature thresholds might have been lower in previous decades so it is not possible to give a definitive number of heatwaves per year.

However, very warm summers like 2018 and 1995 are likely to have seen at least four heatwaves.

Nikos Papanikolaou
BBC News

Firefighters in western Greece are battling a large wildfire in the Flogeraika area of Erymanthos, Achaia, near the Patras industrial zone.

The blaze, which broke out in low vegetation, has prompted evacuation orders for 11 villages via the emergency 112 alert system. Thick smoke has blanketed much of western Achaia and is visible from the city of Patras, with air quality reported to be poor.

The fire in Achaia remains out of control, with shifting winds making its path unpredictable.

Reinforcements have brought the firefighting force to 78 personnel, 27 fire engines and two ground teams, supported by nine aircraft and two helicopters – one of them co-ordinating the aerial response.

Local authorities have deployed water tankers and heavy machinery, while police are carrying out rescues in western Achaia.

There are reports of burn injuries and of homes destroyed in the Patras industrial zone.

On the island of Chios, four villages are being evacuated as a major wildfire burns through difficult terrain. The fire has prompted a large-scale firefighting mobilisation.

Chios was hit by severe fires only weeks ago, which destroyed large areas of land and caused significant damage.