Britain is officially experiencing its first heat wave of 2023, with forecasts indicating that temperatures could soar to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) in some regions of England. This would surpass the previous May record of 32.8 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit), established in 1944. The Met Office, the UK's official weather service, has characterized the heat as unprecedented for this time of year, noting that such records are typically broken by small margins. The heat wave conditions began developing throughout the previous week, peaking over the weekend, especially in England and Wales, where temperatures reached 30.5 degrees Celsius (86.9 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday. The Met Office reported that eight locations in southeast England officially met the criteria for a heat wave after experiencing three consecutive days of high temperatures. Unlike the United States, where a heat wave is defined broadly, Britain's criteria require a formal declaration based on local temperature thresholds, emphasizing the unusual nature of this heat wave in May.