09Z (10am BST) the models had 23C (UKV) and 22C (Arpege) so looks like we are slightly ahead of that. St James's Park 24.0C too at 10am.

@TimS where are you getting the Charlwood data from? Ogimet is still stuck on 9am for Charlwood.

Edit: it has updated now. 23.6C was the exact figure, so 24.0C at St James's Park still the top.

Some 26s around at midday but to much high cloud for 30c today I should think . Models really struggle with high cloud on days like this.

Not sure high cloud makes much different though, only at the margins. Mid level cloud yes, but this stuff is just making the sun a bit hazy. I agree though the temperature rise seems to have paused a bit and it's getting late now to hit 30. 

BBC have 40c for Paris on Saturday.  Once unheard of but seems a recurring theme now.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2988507&ved=2ahUKEwju7s_Z-bH4AhVSSsAKHQaOCr4QFnoECA8QAQ&usg=AOvVaw2vJFILN-r4Qw-1Moqzy3We

29C now at LCY. So probably the warmest day of the year so far.

Yes it has actually felt cooler than yesterday, with more breeze and more cloud, even if the air temperature is objectively a degree or so warmer than yesterday.

29c at Heathrow as well . Its pretty clear now. So maybe a late run at 30c.

Heathrow 29.2c at 4pm.

Can we squeeze a 30c?

Somewhere may just squeak it. Heathrow was showing 29.2C, so only 0.8C to go (or 0.3C if we’re rounding up).

Cloud attacks from the west?  I was looking at the SE all the time where he expected clear hot and sunny weather suppose to be?  Poor today even at 26C but cloud attacking no help to make a day nice and could give much higher temps as well.   It getting very difficult to get a clear sunny day since mid-March while France continue to be clear hence temperatures rising every day from that.  

Yesterday daytime for the most part I was about 15 miles or so inland and it wasn't that warm - it was nice but only around 22/23 however when I got off the train back in Portsmouth it was actually warmer than the inland had been at around 25C at the time. Today the breeze has at times been unnoticeable and when it has its been of the land so it has definitely felt more 'close'. 

Max 28.7C here today at 14.36. Intermittent high cloud.

Looks like 29.5c at Northolt was today's peak.

That was at Edinburgh Airport, but I can also confirm that your old local station at Swanston beat that figure with a temperature of 22.5°C as recorded at 3:50pm BST this afternoon.

Elsewhere in Edinburgh, the highest temperatures which I have been able to find are 20.1°C at Edinburgh Gogarbank and 21.0°C at the botanic gardens in Edinburgh.

It should also be taken into consideration as well that there was a cloudier spell during this afternoon which even brought a little bit of light rain.

That brought a temporary drop in the temperature and had it not been for that, today's temperatures may well have ended up being a bit higher than what I have reported here.

In the end though, these might be the last decent temperatures which we get for a while here as cooler air is expected to move in over the next few days whilst the southerners get their burst of heat with much higher temperatures.

 There were some blobs of rain showing on the radar earlier . I presume it was not getting to ground . Very heavy feeling  here now and overcast

I wonder why the unexpected clouds roll in from the west as we are getting heat from the south?  In the past we get clear skies and drier air from the south or SE flow and wall to wall hot sunshine.  Miss the old days seeing the word Hot, dry and sunny forecasts.  

That's what I'm thinking. Without radar and using old school intuition I would put money on there being a storm. Yet the forecast says otherwise for tonight and tomorrow. Maybe Saturday? But it still has that hot, humid and thundery feel about it.

Discreet upper trough. The convection was very high up and upper winds pushed it W-E. Similar thing happened yesterday across the Midlands.