HOTTEST

In the working-class city of Commerce, where cars speed past on highways and the Citadel Outlets tower over neighborhoods, there is a steakhouse named Stevens. By day, it’s a classic and charming old restaurant where working people go for quiet, hearty meals.

But every Sunday night, the outside world disappears.

As waiters whisk about in starched button ups, couples lead each other by the hand toward the dance floor in the restaurant’s ballroom, where Stevens’ tradition of Salsa Sundays has been bringing the community together for 73 years.

At 7 p.m. every Sunday, beginner lessons start at Stevens Steakhouse.

(Emil Ravelo / For The Times)

An eight-piece band plays brass, electric guitar, bongos and timbales, filling the room with music as dancers twirl in a dizzying array. One attendee, 29-year-old Amy Hernandez, greets a few familiar faces before she steps onto the dance floor, spinning in confident steps with a wide smile on her face.

Hernandez is part of a revival that’s been getting younger people excited about salsa music — and flocking to Stevens. She grew up watching her father dance salsa, but started diving back into the genre on her own to find comfort during the L.A. wildfires earlier this year. She credits Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” for re-sparking her interest.

“It was very healing for me,” she says of the album, which blends old-school Puerto Rican boricua samples with Latin dance and reggaeton influences for an emotional imagining of Puerto Rican identity.

For decades, Stevens has brought friends, couples, and families together for live music and dance.

(Emil Ravelo/For The Times)

When college friends recommended Stevens as an affordable place to dance, Hernandez mentioned it in passing to her dad. “He laughed and said, ‘I remember that place. I used to dance there too,’” Hernandez says.

The increasingly mainstream artists of Latin fusion genre reggaeton are returning to tradition. Along with the music of Bad Bunny, who’s headlining the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show, you can find classic salsa references in reggaeton star Rauw Alejandro’s latest album “Cosa Nuestra,” and in Colombian pop star Karol G’s multi-genre summer album “Tropicoqueta,” which will be at the center of her headlining Coachella set.

“You can feel the younger energy,” says longtime Stevens salsa instructor Jennifer Aguirre. “It makes me really happy to see a younger generation take on salsa. Because I was worried for a bit. I didn’t know how salsa is going to continue.”

Los Angeles has a unique relationship with salsa, the Afro-Caribbean dance born from Cuban mambo. In cities like Miami and New York, salsa arrived with Cuban and Puerto Rican immigrants. Instead, L.A.’s salsa influence came from Golden Age Hollywood, where Latin dance in movies produced a singular, flashier Angeleno style, characterized by quick turns and theatrical movement, according to salsa historian Juliet McMains.

The 1990s were another high for the genre, when West Coast pioneers like the Vazquez brothers and their first-of-its-kind dance team Salsa Brava sparked a local dance craze. The Vazquezes introduced the “on-1” step and innovated a flashier, dramatic style of salsa in L.A. that brought crowds to competitions and congresses through the 2000s. Legendary late promoter Albert Torres founded the L.A. Salsa Congress in 1999, the first congress on the West Coast, drawing a worldwide audience for Angeleno salsa.

Opened in 1952 by Steven Filipan (and located on Stevens Place), Stevens in Commerce became a local hub for Latin music. “The interesting part was that the area wasn’t Latin at all,” says Jim Filipan, Steven’s grandson and now the third-generation owner of the restaurant. “My grandfather had a foresight that this genre would be the future.”

Jim recalls his childhood growing up in the restaurant. “We would have hundreds of people on Sundays,” he says. “The ballroom, the restaurant, everyone was dancing salsa, and it was incredible. My dad took over in the ‘70s, and I was running it with him in the ‘90s.”

Yet by the 2010s it was apparent that another genre was taking hold of the Latin dance scene: bachata, ushered in by smooth-singing New York stars like Prince Royce and Romeo Santos. Salsa quickly went from being considered hip to rather old-fashioned.

During a Stevens dance lesson, guests learn how to spin on the dance floor.

(Emil Ravelo / For The Times)

Aguirre witnessed the genre lose interest firsthand. “It was like an immediate switch,” Aguirre says. “Salsa just wasn’t as popular anymore, and people would walk over to the other side of the restaurant to take the bachata lessons.”

The pandemic also dealt a large blow to local salsa clubs, as peers in the long-standing dance club industry fell to lower attendance rates and rising rent. And in the last year, two historic venues, the Conga Room and the Mayan, closed permanently.

Stevens almost had the same fate. The financial burdens during the pandemic made Jim consider closing for good. But he couldn’t help but consider the responsibility of his family’s legacy and the special place Stevens holds for local dancers.

“It’s very emotional for me because I have four generations in this restaurant, and now my daughter works here,” he says.

When Stevens reopened, the community came back in droves, ushering in a new era of excitement for salsa.

These days, at the beginning of every class, dance instructor Miguel “Miguelito” Aguirre announces the same rule.

“Forget about what happened today, forget about your week, forget about all the bad stuff. Leave it at the door,” Aguirre says. “It’s going to be better because we’re going to dance salsa.”

Dance instructor, Miguel Aguirre, right, mans the DJ booth alongside DJ Pechanga, another longtime employee of Stevens. Every weekend, the duo brings Latin music to the forefront of the space.

(Emil Ravelo/For The Times)

Aguirre has taught salsa at Stevens for 30 years. In many ways, the steakhouse has shaped his life. It’s where he discovered his love for teaching dance and much more.

“I started coming here in the ‘90s, sneaking in through the back door. I was a teenager, so not old enough to show my ID, but one day, Jim just said, ‘You guys cannot come in through the back anymore. You can come into the front,’” Aguirre says. “And then one day he said, ‘Hey, we are missing the instructors. They’re not coming in. Can you guys teach the class?’ And, I’m still here.”

Jennifer Aguirre, a fellow dance teacher at Stevens, is his wife. She met him one day at Stevens’ annual Halloween party.

“He asked me to join his class because they ‘needed more girls,’” Jennifer says, laughing.

Now Jennifer teaches the beginner’s class, while Miguel is on intermediate. But once 10 p.m. hits, it’s social dancing time. The whole floor comes together and a familiar community converges. If attendees are lucky, they might catch Jennifer and Miguel, a smooth-dancing duo, letting loose, stepping and dipping effortlessly.

On a recent Sunday night, the low-lighted ambience of the restaurant met the purple lights of the dance room, with people sitting all around for a peek at the moves on display. Buttery steaks and potatoes cooking in the kitchen tinged the air as the dance floor came alive with women spinning in dresses and men in shining shoes gliding to the rhythm of the music. Miguel Aguirre manned the DJ stand, asking two singles if they knew each other and encouraging them to dance.

Gregorio Sines was one of the solo dancers on the floor, swaying partners easily under Miguel’s encouragement. Years ago, his friend, who frequented Stevens, dragged Sines out to dance socials, telling him it would be the best way to meet people and open up.

As someone who began with anxiety to dance in front of others, Sines now performs in Stevens’ dance showcases. He says consistently returning to the steakhouse’s historic floor and immersing himself in the supportive community not only changed his dance game, but brought him out of his shell.

“I tell anyone, if you’re scared to dance, you just have to get out there,” Sines says. “There’s a community waiting for you.”

SOMETIMES all you want is an affordable holiday, with a bit of warm weather, without having to hop on a long-haul flight.

And if you don’t want to venture too much further than Spain, we’ve found the island which is hottest in the cold winter months.

When it comes to the highest temperatures, Tenerife comes out on top.

This is because of its proximity to Morocco, with flights around 4hr30 from the UK.

Temperatures can be as high as 22C in winter, while the UK is shivering in highs of 7C.

Flights are super cheap – easyJet has routes to Tenerife from Manchester from £20.49 or London Southend from £29.

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Ryanair has bargains from London Luton for £18 each way.

Or you can find seven-night holidays for under £200 each – loveholidays has breaks from £189pp and £199pp in December which includes your hotel and flights.

Even if you want a treat, you can stay in a five-star hotel for just £359pp which includes seven nights at Best Semiramis.

But what can you do on the island?

We’ve spoken to experts and travel writers on the best ways to spend a week in Tenerife.

The hidden gems

Rick Cosgrove, a professional compere at many of the island’s bars, said: “Rincon del Pollo restaurant on the second floor of a little shopping centre, at the entrance to the massive Los Cristianos market.”

He continued: “It serves amazing Canarian-style chicken, home-cooked chips and great salads, for around €30, with drinks.

“El Cini in Los Cristianos is a little fish restaurant hidden up an alleyway where you will find the locals queuing too, with swordfish steaks from €11.”

When it comes to the best, local-loved beaches, he said: “La Tejita, near the airport in the south of the island, is the largest sandy beach in Tenerife and used mainly by locals due to being so windy.

“Two of the black sand beaches loved by locals are Playa san Juan, up the coast from Costa Adeje, and Las Galletas beach, not far from Los Cristianos.”

The beaches

Rick added: “I love both Puerto Colon and Fanabe beaches. These two coves are next to each other in Costa Adeje in the south of the island, and are ideal for beach lovers.

“Puerto Colon has a lot more going on, as it’s next to the marina and all sea excursions in the south tend to depart from here, so there is a plethora of bars, cafes and restaurants to serve your needs.”

Meanwhile, Kitty de Graaf, a travel consultant and blogger on the island, said: “Tenerife South is perfect for a beach holiday with more hours of sunshine and stunning beaches like Playa de las Vistas in Los Cristianos, and Playa del Duque in Costa Adeje.”

The food

Rick recommended any of the restaurants from the Venture Group if you’re looking for “posh nosh”.

He revealed: “It has around 12 restaurants in the south of the island including Empire Steak House and Mrs Miyagi’s – a Thai fusion spot in Playa de Las Americas.

“The Sea Horse in Fanabe is another favourite of ours, offering oversized tapas, with all dishes between €7-12 and probably the best sunset in Europe overlooking the island of Gomera.”

Katie Honcu, a freelance photographer, said: “Restaurante Roque Las Ánimas in Taganana, north Tenerife, is my top place for delicious local food at great prices. (A rustic restaurant with mountain views, selling Canarian food, dishes from €4).”

Other recommendations included Mesón Era Las Mozas for meat eaters, Restaurante Salitre for fish lovers, and Meson Castellano for an upscale experience.

The local spots

Katie said: “Roque Bermejo and Roque de Taborno, on the northern tip of the island, are excellent hiking spots away from the crowds that offer unique Canarian landscapes with stunning views.”

Tara Scarlata, who works for a local chain of bars, said: “Roca Negra Sunset Club in Playa Paraiso is a perfect place for sitting on the rocks at sunset with a cocktail (cocktails from €9), or El Puertito beach.”

The budget attractions

Rick revealed: “The Wally Trolly is a train that drives on the roads and takes families and small children all over the south of Tenerife.

“It gives you a great perspective in seeing actually how large an area the south is, and is very popular with families. (adult tickets €9 and kids tickets €5)”.

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Kitty said you can get tickets to the Pyramids of Güímar on the east coast that features six stepped pyramids and a poison garden, with more than 70 toxic plants from across the world, and to see it it just €10pp.

The must-do activities

Rick said: “This has to be Siam Park – the world’s number one water park – I love the incredible waterslides, but my partner Shelley is more into sunbathing, which she can do with the hundreds of sunbeds surrounding the huge wave pool.”

Meet the experts…

Our panel of Tenerife experts all live, own businesses or work in the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands…

Rick Cosgrove, 52, (pictured above) is a compere, working numerous bars between Los Cristianos and Adeje. Him and his partner Shelley (also pictured above), who is an award winning singer on the island, have a YouTube channel together, Rick and Shelley.

Kitty de Graaf, 53, draws on her passion for travel and writing and her experience in the tourism industry with her website Tenerife Insider Tips, where she serves as a travel consultant. She’s lived in Tenerife nearly 30 years.

Katie Honcu, 28, is a freelance photographer specialising in real estate. She’s lived in Tenerife for six years.

Tara Scarlata, 39, is administrator at TRISK Group – Beer Garden, San Eugenio and Mustang Sally’s, Fanabe Beach. She’s lived in Tenerife 10 years

For much of the last 30 years, investors have had a next-big-thing innovation to captivate their attention. But in rare instances, two or more hyped trends can coexist. Though the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is the primary headline-grabber at the moment, investor euphoria surrounding stock splits in high-profile companies comes in a close second.

A stock split is an event that allows a publicly traded company to cosmetically adjust its share price and outstanding share count by the same factor. The “cosmetic” aspect of these changes has to do with stock splits having no effect on a company’s market cap or its underlying operations.

But although these changes are superficial, they’re often viewed very differently by investors on Wall Street. Reverse splits, which are designed to increase a company’s share price, are typically viewed as a situation to avoid by investors. Businesses that need to increase their share price are often doing so to avoid delisting from a major stock exchange and may be operating from a position of weakness.

Image source: Getty Images.

In comparison, investors almost always gravitate to companies announcing and completing forward splits. This type of split reduces the share price (and correspondingly increases the share count) to make it more nominally affordable for retail investors who can’t purchase fractional shares with their broker. Generally, if a business needs to reduce its share price to make it more “affordable” for everyday investors, it must be doing something right from an operating standpoint.

To date, three prominent companies have announced and completed a forward stock split in 2025. One of these high-flying stocks — which has gained just shy of 300% over the trailing-three-year period — is becoming the newest member of the benchmark S&P 500 (^GSPC 0.24%), effective as of the start of trading today, Aug. 28.

The newest member of the benchmark S&P 500 completed its first-ever stock split this year

The phenomenal business that’s forever changing the broad-based S&P 500 is automated electronic brokerage firm Interactive Brokers Group (IBKR -2.37%).

Unlike auto parts chain O’Reilly Automotive, which completed a 15-for-1 split in June, and Fastenal, which effected its ninth forward split in May since going public in 1987, Interactive Brokers had never completed a split. That changed when its 4-for-1 split was completed in mid-June.

The S&P 500, which consists of 500 of the largest (and generally profitable) public companies, tends to change a bit each year. Because of mergers and acquisitions, as well as poor stock performance, not all of the 500 components in the benchmark index stick around.

For instance, pharmacy chain Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA 0.55%) is being acquired by private equity firm Sycamore Partners in an all-cash deal, with a potential divested asset proceed right to come for remaining shareholders. While there’s no set closing date for the Walgreens deal, it’s expected to wrap up before the end of the year. This means it’s only a matter of time before the S&P 500 needs a new member.

Interactive Brokers Group checked all the right boxes to become the S&P 500’s newest entrant and replace Walgreens Boots Alliance. It handily surpasses the minimum market cap requirement of $22.7 billion, as of July 1, 2025, more than meets than minimum monthly trading volume requirements, and has been profitable over the trailing four quarters.

Entering the S&P 500 means index funds that attempt to mirror the performance of this broad-based index will be buying up shares of Interactive Brokers Group stock.

Image source: Getty Images.

Investing aggressively in automation has given Interactive Brokers an edge

However, entering the S&P 500 today represents just a short-term milestone for a company that’s been firing on all cylinders.

Without question, Interactive Brokers is a business that thrives off of the nonlinearity of stock market cycles. Though stock market corrections and bear markets are normal, healthy, and inevitable events on Wall Street, they’re historically short-lived.

Based on an analysis from Bespoke Investment Group that was published on X (formerly Twitter) in June 2023, the average S&P 500 bear market since the start of the Great Depression in September 1929 lasted only 286 calendar days, or less than 10 months.

On the other end of the spectrum, the typical S&P 500 bull market has endured 1,011 calendar days, or roughly 3.5 times longer. Bull markets tend to encourage investors to trade and put more money to work in the stock market, which is good news for online brokers.

But what’s really helped Interactive Brokers Group stand out is its investments in technology and automation, which have been targeted at retail investors.

Aggressively investing in its platform and emphasizing automation has lowered its operating expenses and allowed the company to be more competitive in other areas where it can lure/retain retail investors. For example, Interactive Brokers offers a higher interest rate on cash held in customer accounts than its competitors provide, and its margin loan rates are notably lower than its peers. It’s able to maintain these dangling carrots thanks to its prudent investments in automation.

Every key performance indicator (KPI) for Interactive Brokers is currently growing by a double-digit percentage from the prior-year period. As of the end of June, total customer accounts jumped 32% to 3.87 million from the comparable period last year, with customer equity rising 34% to nearly $665 billion. Perhaps most importantly, daily average revenue trades rose 49% to 3.55 million, which signals that its clients are trading more than ever before.

While a nearly 300% move higher for Interactive Brokers Group stock may merit a short breather at some point, the company’s KPIs point to additional long-term upside.

Elliott made 18 league appearances under Arne Slot last season, but his only two starts came against Chelsea and Brighton, when Liverpool had already won the league.

That was in stark contrast to the previous season, with 11 starts in 34 league games for the Reds in Jurgen Klopp’s final campaign.

Elliott has made 147 appearances, scoring 15 goals, in his six years at Liverpool since joining from Fulham as a teenager, with a season on loan at Blackburn in 2020-21.

England Under-21 boss Carsley has only seen Elliott’s desire to succeed this summer.

“I’ve not seen a lot of the frustration,” he added. “What I have seen is someone who’s determined to play and to get the minutes. He wants to play every game and all of the minutes.

“He’s definitely built into the tournament. Not getting as much game time towards the end of the season, we’ve had to manage his minutes in terms of the amount he’s played and the intensity he plays at because he’s so explosive with the way he moves and his end product.

“We’re very lucky to have him.”

Brighton have been linked with a move for Elliott, as have former club Fulham, and while Wolves have been mentioned they have already signed Spaniard Fer Lopez and any fee is likely to be too high for the Molineux outfit.

Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock, part of BBC 5 Live’s commentary team in Slovakia, believes Elliott has done well to ignore talk about his future and impress at the Euros.

“There’s a lot of speculation about ‘will he be at Liverpool next year?’,” said Warnock, who made 67 appearances after coming through the youth ranks at Anfield.

“That’s not easy. There will be phone calls with his agent about who’s talking, where are we looking at going and what are the potential avenues, am I going to stay at Liverpool? It’s very much a rollercoaster as the tournament goes on.

“Because of the amount of games he has played for Liverpool, and the impact he had coming in, I think we all thought he would catapult and play for a long time in the first team.

“But he has a World Cup winner in Alexis Mac Allister in front of him, [Ryan] Gravenberch had an unbelievable season and [Dominik] Szoboszlai was brought in for big money.

“He has responded well in this tournament. Mo Salah talks about moments in games and Harvey Elliott is one of those players for the moment. When the moment presents itself he is calm and composed.”

Seville is a popular tourist destination in Europe and is famous for its hot weather – but it could be set to become a desert in the next few decades

One of Europe’s “hottest cities” is a major tourist hotspot, but recent scorching temperatures have left some scientists worried.

Sunny Seville is celebrated for its stunning architecture, pulsating nightlife, and, not least, its glorious weather.

With an enviable average of 12 hours of sunshine a day and pleasant temperatures around 21C in March, the Spanish city offers the perfect city break escape while England endures often drearier climes.

Come summer, however, the story changes dramatically. The city faces blistering heatwaves with mercury levels that can soar to a staggering 45C, often proving too much for many tourists.

In recent times, soaring temperatures have raised alarm bells among climate scientists who fear Seville could be on the brink of becoming a desert, dubbing it the “Iberian oven”.

Nestled at the base of nearby mountains, Seville’s landlocked position means it receives hot winds from Africa, which sweep across its plains. Weather experts are issuing stark warnings, suggesting we are “walking into unknown territory… the city is turning into a desert.”

The peak of the scorching heat typically arrives towards the end of July and into August, although this can vary depending on wind patterns. Adventurous souls keen to explore this vibrant metropolis must heed the risks, particularly during the torrid summers when threats of heatstroke and dehydration are ever-present.

August 2023 witnessed the mercury hitting an astounding 40C, with temperatures consistently sizzling in the high 30s throughout the season.

Travel enthusiast Huw Owen recommends spring and autumn getaways for their gentler weather, but reminds summer tourists to find shade from midday until 7 pm and enjoy the cooler evenings.

Seville’s breath-taking Cathedral and Alcazar Royal Palace serve as idyllic sanctuaries from the intense Spanish sun, allowing guests to explore without overexposure.

The British Red Cross has come forward with essential guidance for Britons embarking on sunny escapades this year.

Dr Ellie Murtagh from the charity has offered invaluable advice: “If you are travelling to a country experiencing extreme heat, there are several steps you can take to keep yourself and others safe. This includes wearing sunscreen, staying out of the sun during the warmest hours of the day, drinking plenty of water and drinking less alcohol. You can also help keep wherever you’re staying cool by keeping blinds and windows closed.”

It’s crucial to acknowledge that extreme heat brings significant health risks, particularly for the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals with chronic conditions, so stay cautious and care for one another.

Kuwait City is one of the hottest places on Earth and the scorching heat is causing chaos for both humans and wildlife as our planet continues to face the realities of climate change

Kuwait City, once known as a blissful “Marseilles of the Gulf”, is now witnessing heat so extreme that animals are being cooked alive.

The Middle Eastern metropolis has become a clear indicator of the harrowing effects of climate change, with birds dropping dead from the scorching heavens and fish boiling in the water.

Back in the halcyon days, Kuwait City thrived as a bustling hub with a flourishing fishing industry and idyllic beaches that lured in basking holidaymakers. But now, it’s gripped by an overwhelming problem of potentially uninhabitable temperatures.

A staggering 54C (129F) was recorded on 21 July 2016 at Mitribah weather station, placing Kuwait third in the solar frying stakes with one of the globe’s most torrid temperatures. Even Europe’s former Cerberus Heatwave pales in comparison, trailing behind Kuwait’s zenith by a whole 10 degrees Celsius.

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An ominous forecast looms as climate experts project that this desert country may blaze ahead with a temperature increase of up to 5.5C (10F) by century’s end relative to figures from the early 2000s. In 2023, the mercury spiked past 50C (122F) on nineteen occasions, a tally that’s feared might just be a starting point.

Urban development has transformed Kuwait City into a sweltering expanse of relentless concrete and asphalt, regions that are fast turning too fiery for safe habitation come summertime.

In further alarm, scientific records trace a downturn in annual precipitation, amplifying fierce dust storms that whip through the increasingly arid nation. The scorching heatwave has led to harrowing scenes with birds dropping dead from the sky and seahorses cooked alive in the bay, as even robust pigeons seek respite from the sun’s relentless blaze.

With temperatures soaring to a life-threatening 50C, which is a staggering 13C above human body temperature, the risks of heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and cardiac complications escalate dramatically.

In an unprecedented move, Kuwait has permitted nocturnal funerals due to the unbearable heat, while the wealthy retreat into their air-conditioned sanctuaries, be it homes, offices, or malls.

This extreme weather has spurred the creation of futuristic structures like an indoor shopping avenue, complete with palm trees and European-style boutiques, offering shoppers an escape from the brutal climate.

A 2020 study revealed that a massive two-thirds of domestic electricity consumption is attributed to the relentless use of air conditioning.

Writing for ExpatsExchange, Joshua Wood praised Kuwait for its “high quality of life” in a “modern, luxurious and safe” environment but cautioned about the intense heat, describing it as “very hot from May through September” and reaching “insanely hot” levels during the peak summer months of June to August.

Despite the sweltering heat, the streets are far from deserted. Migrant workers, predominantly from Arab, South and South East Asian nations, constitute about 70% of the country’s population.

Many people are enticed to move to Kuwait and work in sectors like construction or household services. These workers populate the steaming public buses of the capital city and crowd the streets.

Research conducted in 2023 by the Institute of Physics indicated that migrant workers can be particularly vulnerable to adverse health effects due to exposure to severe temperatures. The study suggests that by the end of the century, climate change could lead to a rise in heat-related deaths by 5.1% to 11.7% across the entire population, and even up to 15% among non-Kuwaiti individuals.

Warnings about the planet are often overlooked, yet in Kuwait where the devastating effects of climate change are already evident – the carbon footprint is enormous – only Bahrain and Qatar’s is higher.

While neighbouring countries have committed to significant reductions in emissions, Kuwait’s pledges seem insignificant in comparison. At COP26, the country announced it would only reduce emissions slightly (7.4%) by 2035.

Kuwaiti government officials predict that energy demand will triple by 2030. This is largely due to the anticipated increase in the use of indoor cooling systems.

The government footing a large portion of the electricity bill has led to a lack of incentive for people to curb their usage. Water consumption follows a similar pattern due to energy-intensive processes.

Environmental expert Salman Zafar highlighted the potential consequences of global warming for Kuwait, stating: “Kuwait could be potentially facing serious impacts of global warming in the form of floods, droughts, depletion of aquifers, inundation of coastal areas, frequent sandstorms, loss of biodiversity, significant damage to ecosystem, threat to agricultural production and outbreak of diseases.”

As the UK braces for a 32C heatwave this weekend, many Brits will be flocking to the south coast – but the highest ever temperature recorded on the mainland is actually some 200 miles north

This peaceful town surrounded by rolling countryside has surprisingly been dubbed the hottest part of Britain. The UK may be infamous for its constant drizzle and grey-cloud-weather, but the summer months are getting increasingly warmer.

In fact, temperatures in London could end up exceeding those in typically sweltering parts of Europe, including Barcelona, this weekend – as Brits brace for an early summer heatwave.

As previously reported, the mercury is set to surge above 30C for the first time in 2025 this week – with forecasters predicting the UK could soar to 32C in the south by Saturday. But, if you’re looking for truly sizzling temperatures, the micro-climate hotspots that sprawl along England’s south coast might not actually be your best shot.

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Almost three years ago, on July 18, 2022, the UK experienced temperatures of a whopping 40.3C – surpassing records dating all the way back to 1884. However, the scorching figure wasn’t documented on the golden sandy beaches of Eastbourne – or the tropical Isle of Scilly.

In fact, the intense heat was actually recorded some 200 miles north of Britain’s south coast, in the sleepy town of Coningsby. Located in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, the civil parish is mainly known for its RAF Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) stations, which help protect UK airspace.

According to Lincolnshire Live, locals described the heat spell as ‘unbearable’ and like ‘living in the Sahara’. Shops were temporarily closed due to the scorching temperatures and people were encouraged to remain indoors.

While skeptics argued the thermometer’s reading was skewed by the nearby runway that regularly sees Typhoons taking off and ‘pumping considerable amounts of hot gas’ into the air – the Met Office confirmed the temperature had passed its quality control testing.

This includes physical inspections, as well as cross-checking of stations and sites. “These quality control measures are in accordance with the internationally-agreed World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) standards, which are required to be accepted as official records,” the Met Office added.

A spokesperson confirmed the scorching heat wasn’t just confined to RAF Coningsby, nor was it the only weather station that recorded temperatures exceeding 40C. On the day of recording, the Met Office states there were some ‘thin clouds’ around the county through the afternoon, with a south-south-westerly wind of around 16mph.

“Although Coningsby had the UK’s all-time record high temperature [in 2022], there’s no evidence to suggest it’s always the hottest place in Lincolnshire,” the Met Office added. “The meteorological conditions of a given day help determine where temperatures rise highest. Indeed, stations closer to more urban areas, such as Lincoln itself, will tend to see higher temperatures.

“Coningsby is, however, off the immediate coastline of Lincolnshire. This means it sees less influence from easterly and northeasterly sea breezes than some other stations in Lincolnshire.”

Do you have a story to share? Email us at [email protected] for a chance to be featured.

The Mediterranean as a whole is warming up faster than the global average, while many cities and islands in Greece record numerous days each summer where the mercury tips over the 40C mark

The hottest capital in Europe is on high alert as 10 million holidaymakers look to descend on a city that has become stifling in recent years.

Visitors to Athens may want to gird their loins and pack a portable fan ahead of their holidays this summer. Athens has always been scorching in the summer, but never as much as it is now. Europe’s hottest mainland capital roasted in record highs last summer, with a Greece-wide heatwave from July 8 to 23 the longest in the country’s history.

While last year saw records topple, it wasn’t a total outlier. The Mediterranean as a whole is warming up faster than the global average, while many cities and islands in Greece record numerous days each summer where the mercury tips over the 40C mark.

The heat is a particular problem in Athens, where a lack of green space and shelter from the unrelenting midday sun can leave visitors from less sunny climes feeling roasted and fatigued.

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In fact, the Acropolis of Athens was shut several times last summer because of the relentless heat, which was deemed to be a danger to visitors. Each day close to 17,000 people visit the site, which is home to the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Propylaea entrance and white marble columns that radiate heat at tourists.

In the high season as many as 23,000 people a day trample over these hallowed rocks, eroding the foundations of what many consider to be the birthplace of democracy. It’s become so crowded that a new visitor cap was put in place last year. This has helped to control the crowds a little, bringing a touch of calm to a bustling spot.

To add to the heat issues, overtourism is rearing its head in Athens. Foders, an American outlet, has argued that the Greek city is one of the many great historical settlements which is being eroded and damaged thanks to out of control tourism.

Having bounced back in terms of visitor numbers post-financial melt-down and coronavirus lockdowns, “there’s fear that if the surge of visitors continues unchecked, the most Athenian boroughs will culturally erode and physically disappear,” Fodors writes. The publication placed Athens on its ‘No travel’ list.

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In a bid to dampen the impact of Greece’s raging hot summers, an early-warning systems for heatwaves and real-time monitoring of temperature data, along with fountains, air-conditioned cooling centers and shady pocket parks have been put in place, CNN reports.

Emergency services have been put at the ready ahead of this summer, including around the foothills of the Acropolis. In 2021, the city became Europe’s first to appoint a dedicated “chief heat officer”, who has been working on nature based solutions such as tree planting to lessen the perceived heat in Athens.

Iris Plaitakis, a tour guide who regularly visits the Acropolis, told CNN: “Tourists often underestimate the heat, especially those from colder climates. They don’t think to wear hats or bring enough water. You’re much more exposed to the sun and heat up there because of the higher elevation and lack of trees and other shade.”