Britain bakes during hottest day on record for May

LONDON, May 25 (Reuters) - Britain had ​its ⁠hottest day on record for ​May on Monday, the country's national weather service said, with ​the ‌temperature nearing 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).

On a ⁠day that also broke records for ⁠a public holiday, ​the Met Office said the temperature hit 34.8 C (94.64 F) at west London's Kew Gardens, provisionally exceeding Britain's previous 32.8 ​C (91 ‌F) May record, seen in both 1922 and 1944.

A study last year found that the chances of surpassing the previous 32.8 C May ​record were three times more likely as a result ‌of changes in climate as a result of human greenhouse gas emissions, the ‌Met Office said.

"This heat would be exceptional in the UK even in mid summer, let alone in ​May," it said.

Monday was also the hottest public holiday recorded ‌since Met Office UK-wide records began in 1884, exceeding a previous high of 33.3 C in August 2019.

Swimmers ⁠flocked ⁠to open air pools and ‌pedestrians sought to cool off in public fountains, while near the village ​of Brockworth ​in south-west England, competitors braved both ‌the heat and a steep hill for an annual cheese-rolling contest. (Reporting by Alistair Smout, additional reporting by Isabel Infantes, editing by Alexander Smith)