I've just stepped out to get some lunch, and despite some pretty ugly looking skies it's like an oven with a warm/hot breeze. Presumably in the mid to high 20s, but any warmer and more humid and it would be a horrible day.

This has been the best summer of my adult life (I was 11 in 1976)  and if it's not hit 30C then hoorah for that.

It has all got a bit messy this past few days I agree, and I can't seem to find a clear forecast for here, but it's still memorable, and there's still a good month to go.

Yes, Heathrow has dropped back below 30C. The models seem pretty spot on with the focus of the heat to the north of London and over East Anglia today.

My sensor has topped 32c but Robin Hood Airport a few miles away is showing 31c. Too hot to be useful though. 

Officially the hottest day of the year 33.3c Santon Downham

That's a rapid rise, it was nearly 2 degrees lower at 3pm! 

http://www.weathercast.co.uk/world-weather/weather-stations/obsid/99118.html

I'm pretty sure its kosher its from the Met office twitter feed. Plenty of 32s nearby 

Yeah I saw it on the Met Office feed. Just surprised it's so much higher than any hourly reading.

I think its because its partly cloudy if the sun comes out the temp rockets. 

Yes, very warm today - this morning was like a furnace, so humid. 29C this afternoon - but without the cloud it would have bee so much warmer. Not that I find 30s especially pleasant but for interest I would like to reach 30C at least once. That's not asking for too much even in a normal summer let alone one as warm as this one.

I must be accustomed to warmth if I'm wearing jeans and a long-sleeve shirt on a humid 28°C+ day in late July...

Lovely day!

Could be cloud, could be increase in surface winds. Not really sure. Santon Downham is one of our hot spots and cold spots regularly due to the type of soil. Earlier I was at 32.8C (max 32.9C) I posted in the CC thread but then promptly started to drop back to the current 31.3C no obvious reason except those mentioned above. I'm a little over 20 miles from there.

That is only 0.1C off the date record which is 33.4C set at North Heath in 1989

Keep an eye on date records over the next few days. Here are the current records

24 July 32.6C (Barnet 1900)

25 July 33.9C (Regent's Park 1900)

26 July 33.3C (Southampton 1885)

27 July 34.4C (Margate, Cambridge Botanical Gardens 1933)

All of the above could be beaten this week

Yes we didn't quite manage to beat the date record for today, which is 33.4C recorded North Heath (West Sussex) 1989. I believe the highest today was 33.3C in Suffolk, so just avoided equalling it by 0.1C!

EDIT: Apologies you mentioned this earlier!

12z ARPEGE wants to take the heat away by Friday so Thursday looks like the peak. Tuesday and Wednesday similar temperatures to those of today. Thursday is the hot one with 34C and possibly 35C before it goes sub 30C on Friday.

ICON 18z just holds on to 30C in Suffolk on Friday

GFS 12z and GFS(P) 12z keep at least 32C for Friday

ARPEGE 12Z today was spot on with 33C and even got the location more or less right. It goes for 32C Tue and Wed and then 35C in London on Thursday before a big cooldown to 28C max on Friday.

edit: beaten to it!