The UK record for the hottest day in June was broken for a third day in a row on Friday, with temperatures reaching 37.3C in Suffolk, the Met Office has said.
The 50-year-old record was beaten by more than a full degree, highlighting the intensity of the heatwave which has gripped the country this week.
It has resulted in travel disruption, schools closing, and six NHS trusts declaring critical incidents after being overwhelmed with patients.
But the scorching heat is expected to ease off over the weekend, and a yellow warning for thunderstorms has been issued for Scotland and parts of northern England.
The provisional hottest June temperature was recorded in the the village of Santon Downham on Friday.
It surpassed the high of 36.7 in Merryfield, Somerset, on Thursday, which itself had broken the 36.1 recorded in Gosport, Hampshire, the day before.
Wales saw a peak of 35.1C in the village in Flintshire, and Scotland’s highest temperature of 29.2C was recroded in Dumfries and Galloway.
It was cooler in Northern Ireland, where a high of 25.6C was recorded in County Down. A thunderstorm warning which had been place into Friday night was cancelled.
All four nations have experienced their highest temperatures of the year so far this week, with sweltering conditions of more than 20C continuing through the night for many in England and Wales – a phenomenon forecasters refer to as “tropical nights”.
Red warnings for extreme heat – meaning there is a population-wide risk of adverse health affects or danger to life – remain in place across London, the east and the south east until 21:00 BST on Friday.
There are also amber heat warnings in place until Saturday evening for south-west England, while thunderstorm
Health services have come under strain in some parts of the country.
As well as the NHS dealing with an increase in emergency patients suffering heat-related illnesses, Dr Hilary Williams, clinical vice-president at the Royal College of Physicians, said MRI machines and scanners had been affected by the heat.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that “basic ward infrastructure” had been unable to cope, adding: “The patients are far too hot, we’re hearing reports of elderly care wards way over 30C.”
The London Ambulance Service (LAS) had seen “about a 50%” increase in 999 calls during the heatwave, its head Jason Killens told the BBC, a trend he said would be seen “across the country”.
The service took its highest ever number of “immediately life-threatening” calls on Wednesday.
Killens said LAS had “thrown the kitchen sink” at the situation, including cancelling all non-essential training and non-essential meetings to deploy more staff to the front line.
More than 600 schools in England either completely or partially closed due to the heat on Friday, among the more than 2,400 schools in England and Wales that shut their doors this week.
Travel disruption continued into Friday rush hour for some, with delays and cancellations reported.
Avanti West Coast, Great Western Railway and Transport for London were among operators which announced changes to services as a result of the heat.
The AA said it received 14% more callouts than usual on Thursday for broken-down vehicles.
There were closures at some of the UK’s most well-known tourist attractions too.
London’s Tower Bridge, Cutty Sark and Royal Observatory closed to visitors, as did Marwell Zoo in Hampshire. Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures and Legoland Windsor allowed people to swap tickets for a different day.
Firefighters managed to contain a wildfire in Derbyshire that affected around 200 hectares (990 acres) of land on Tintwistle Moor since Wednesday.
In Leicestershire, the family of a teenage boy who became the latest to drown while swimming in open water during the hot weather paid tribute to him.
In a statement, they said 13-year-old Hayden Jones-Powell would be remembered for his “big smile”, as authorities reissued warnings about the hidden risks of getting into open water.
The heatwave – which has affected other parts of Europe – is being driven by a “heat dome”, an area of high pressure that traps heat, settling over western Europe.
The high humidity accompanying the heat has exacerbated the potential for health impacts, the Met Office said.
Some areas have seen intense thunderstorms triggered by the heat, including in Edinburgh, where the airport said there had been significant disruption.
While it is hard to link climate change to individual extreme weather events, scientists say climate change is making heatwaves more frequent and intense.
While it will hardly be chilly this weekend, many will feel the heatwave easing as the weekend progresses.
Friday night will be less warm but temperatures in south-east England and East Anglia may still not drop below 20C.
This weekend is expected to continue to be hot for many, but only south-east and eastern England will continue to be covered by an amber heat weather warning on Saturday.
In Scotland, a yellow warning for thunderstorms will remain in place until the early hours of the morning.
Following localised overnight thunderstorms for some across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England, there could be further thundery showers through the morning on Friday and for some they will rumble on into the afternoon.
Temperatures could pass 30C in some areas again on Sunday, though no Met Office weather warnings are in place.
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