As Britain basks in balmy weather today with a high of 28 degrees Celsius (82.4 degrees Fahrenheit) this afternoon, early revellers were seen coming for the Reading Festival.
While the north of Scotland will enjoy mild lows in the mid-teens, the greatest temperatures will be found in the east and southeast of England.
This afternoon, the temperature in Reading will reach 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit). Partygoers were seen bringing their tents and bags to the railway station this morning as they eagerly prepared for the three-day festival, which runs from Friday to Sunday.
The event will include six headliners, including Bring Me The Horizon, Arctic Monkeys, and The 1975.
The finest locations may be found at the camp site close to Richfield Avenue starting at 6 p.m. today for those with early entrance weekend passes.
Other festival-goers with regular weekend tickets may reach the venue starting at 8 p.m. tomorrow.
The south of England is expected to see some showers and thunder tomorrow, followed by sunny skies on Friday, according to the Met Office.
Today, a belt of rain will gently travel southeastward through Wales, northern, and western England, according to a Met spokeswoman. The southeast will be warm and muggy with sunny intervals. In the northwest, things are becoming lighter and fresher with a few showers.
‘Rain is gently moving eastward throughout England tonight and fading, but later heavy, thundery rain will develop in the southeast. Northwesterly clear periods with a few showers.
Tomorrow, there will be a gradual fading away of the southeast’s heavy, thunderous rain. mostly dry with mild sunny periods. A few showers in the far northwest, followed later by heavier rain.
Fortunately for festival attendees in Reading, the south of England is expected to be clean and dry during the weekend while the north of England may have isolated showers.
When Rage Against The Machine announced they would not be performing at Reading Festival two weeks ago, the festival became embroiled in controversy.
In addition to cancelling their 2022 European tour dates due to medical advice, the band said they will not be attending the event as scheduled. This includes their anticipated appearance at the Leeds Festival.
Along with The Arctic Monkeys, Dave, and Halsey, Rage Against The Machine, noted for their songs “Killing In the Name” and “Bulls on Parade,” was scheduled to perform as the opening act at Reading.
Later, the pop group The 1975 took the place of the rock band.
The Met Office said that the heatwave in July broke the previous record for nocturnal temperatures, with one site experiencing a night without a temperature below 26.8C.
Shirburn Model Farm in Oxfordshire recorded the new greatest daily low temperature on July 19 at 4:32am.
According to the Met Office, this implies that the temperature never dropped below that mark during the course of a 24-hour period, establishing a new record for the UK.
Coningsby, Lincolnshire, established the new record for the warmest temperature in the UK at 40.3°C later that day on July 19. This was the first occasion the temperature in the nation broke the 40°C mark.
The new record for the day minimum, which replaced the old record of 25.8C established at Kenley Airfield on the same day, has only been confirmed since the data from certain weather stations are reported more slowly than others.
Climate change is increasing the intensity, frequency, and likelihood of heatwaves; the UK’s July heatwave broke several previous records for temperature.
John Penman, manager of the Met Office’s data quality, said: “Another illustration of how extreme the heat was in July is this new record.
“What is amazing is how much this has improved upon the old record, surpassing the 23.9C mark set in August 1990 by over three degrees.
“During a season of extraordinary heat in the UK, the nightly temperatures have obliterated the prior records, much like the daytime highs.”
The record high temperature of 40.3C broke the previous mark of 38.7C established in Cambridge in 2019 by more than two and a half degrees Celsius.