UK records hottest day of 2025 while firefighters continue to battle wildfires

The weather has been gorgeous today – so nice in fact that it has been the hottest day of the year so far.

A whopping 23°C has been recorded in Gosport, Hampshire, the warmest day since September 21, 2024.

The previous hottest day of 2025 was on March 20 when a temperature of 21.3°C was recorded in Northolt, west London.

How long will the hot weather last?

This hot weather is expected to continue for most of the outlook period ahead.

High pressure is expected to dominate which will bring settled conditions, meaning lengthy spells of dry and bright weather. 

However, there will be a cooling trend over the weekend and into next week, with the risk of slight overnight frosts.

Where have wildfires broken out?

But it is not all good news as fire crews battle a wildfire in Scotland that spans 1.5 miles.

The area impacted is north of Loch Dee in Galloway Forest Park.

A spokesperson for Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said: ‘We were alerted at 4.14pm on Thursday April 3 to reports of a large area of grass on fire north of Loch Dee in Galloway Forest Park.

‘Operations control mobilised one fire appliance and firefighters are working to extinguish a fire affecting an area of grass measuring approximately 1.5 miles.

‘There are no reported casualties and the crew remain at the scene.’

There is a very high to extreme risk of wildfire across Scotland from Wednesday April 2 until Monday April 7 as the country enjoys dry and sunny weather.

The fire service together with the Scottish Wildfire Forum, is urging people to avoid lighting fires outdoors across all areas of Scotland during this time.

There’s also been wildfires in Dorset and Leicester this week.

In 2022, wildfires also burned in east London during a scorching July heatwave.

Why do wildfires happen?

Wildfires occur due to a combination of natural and human factors.

Dry vegetation acts as the primary fuel, but the ignition source can be either a natural event like lightning or human activities such as campfires or discarded cigarettes.

Where are the UK wildfire warnings?

The Met Office issued a wildfire warning in Britain as temperatures soared to above 22°C.

An amber fire warning is issued for most of England and extends into Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Met Office meteorologist Kathryn Chalk explained previously: ‘With strong winds and ongoing dry/warm weather this brings a continued likelihood for wildfire conditions through the period.

‘There is currently an amber fire danger rating across England extending into Northern Ireland and the rest of southern Scotland on Wednesday.’

Are water levels running low?

On top of this, there is water scarcity in parts of Scotland as well because of below average rainfall levels.

Scottish Water assured people that the scarcity does not affect reservoir water supplies, but said it will mainly affect those in the agriculture sector, such as farmers and fruit and vegetable growers.

Kenny Boag, Sepa’s head of environmental performance, said: ‘Water scarcity is becoming a growing challenge in Scotland, and the data from March shows there is an increased risk that water scarcity could occur early in the season this year.

‘As part of our commitment to helping Scotland become more climate resilient, we’ll continue to monitor the situation closely.

‘Following on from this water situation update, our weekly water scarcity reporting will begin in May, unless the situation deteriorates sooner.

‘This will provide regular updates on conditions to ensure businesses can prepare for any potential challenges ahead.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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