On Air Now

John Clayton

3:00pm - 6:00pm

  • 01723 336444

Now Playing

John Paul Young

Love Is In The Air

Download

Thousands watch summer solstice sunrise at Stonehenge - on what could become hottest day of year so far

Thousands of people gathered at Stonehenge to watch the summer solstice sunrise, marking the year's longest day - on what could become the hottest day of the year so far.

Those gathering at Stonehenge had a warm start, with temperatures in Salisbury and Greater London reaching 18C by 5am, according to the Met Office.

The Met Office confirmed "many places" in England and "one or two areas" in Wales, including Cardiff, entered a heatwave on Friday.

Check the weather forecast where you are

The forecaster confirmed the highest overnight temperatures were recorded in Yeovilton, in Somerset, and Crosby, in Merseyside, both reaching 19.7C by 6am on Saturday, with towns in Cumbria and Lancashire recording temperatures above 19C.

An amber heat-health alert is in place for all regions in England over the weekend.

Solstice events at Stonehenge are some of the rare occasions when visitors are allowed to get close to the stones at the World Heritage site, which was built to align with the sun on the solstices.

Solstices are believed to have been celebrated at Stonehenge for thousands of years.

The summer solstice sees the sun rise behind the Heel Stone, the ancient entrance to the Stone Circle, with rays of sunlight being channelled into the centre of the monument.

It takes place as one of the Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt towards the sun as it reaches its highest position in the sky, giving the longest period of daylight for the year and signifying the end of spring.

Read more: How to stay cool in the heat

It comes as scattered thunderstorms are set to hit the UK amid continued high temperatures on Saturday, with 34C possible in some areas.

The yellow weather warning for thunderstorms covers all of northern England, from Nottingham to up above Newcastle, and will come into force from 3pm and last until 4am on Sunday.

The Met Office warned the most intense storms could produce "frequent lightning, large hail and gusty winds, as well as a chance of flooding.

Parts of eastern England could see temperatures beat the 32.2C seen on Thursday, making it the hottest day of the year so far.

There will also be very high UV and pollen levels across the country, the Met Office said.

Sky News

(c) Sky News 2025: Thousands watch summer solstice sunrise at Stonehenge - on what could become hottest day of

Did you find this article useful?

This is the Coast is committed to providing a daily local news service for the Yorkshire Coast. We are a small locally owned and operated business which employs professional journalists and reporters. We do not receive any public funding or grants and we are entirely funded by our local commercial operations. We enjoy fabulous support from local businesses who work with us on their advertising and marketing campaigns, but the cost of providing high quality, well researched, fact checked local news coverage is significant.

If you appreciate what This is the Coast does, and would like to help support our journalism, please consider supporting us on a monthly basis today.

A small contribution from all our readers would really help support independent journalism for the Yorkshire Coast.

More from National News

Follow Us

Get Our Apps

Our Apps are now available for iOS, Android and Smart Speakers.

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play
  • Just ask Amazon Alexa
  • Available on Roku

Today's Weather

  • Scarborough

    Sunny intervals

    High: 27°C | Low: 17°C

  • Filey

    Sunny intervals

    High: 26°C | Low: 17°C

  • Whitby

    Sunny intervals

    High: 29°C | Low: 17°C

  • Bridlington

    Sunny intervals

    High: 26°C | Low: 17°C

  • Hornsea

    Sunny intervals

    High: 26°C | Low: 17°C

  • Driffield

    Sunny intervals

    High: 30°C | Low: 17°C

News