Got that Monday warming feeling...

THESE kids know how to beat the heat as they dive into a seaside pool in Margate, Kent as much of the nation sweltered in the hottest day of the year yesterday as the mercury hit 34.8C.

- Chris Riches

But some parts suffered torrential downpours and thunderstorms.

The sizzling temperatures, peaking in Cambridge, soared past the previous high for 2024, 31.9C (89.4F) in London on July 30, but fell short of the UK's highest ever 40.3C at Coningsby, Lincolnshire in July 2022.

But it was hot enough to send us flocking to parks, beauty spots and the seaside to soak up the glorious sunshine and bask under blue, cloudless skies.

The Met Office said: "It's been the hottest day of 2024 so far with 34.8C recorded in Cambridge today.