UK weather: Brits to bask in glorious sunshine with temperatures soaring to 24C in days, Met Office says
BRITS are set to bask in glorious sunshine with temperatures soaring to 24C in days, the Met Office have said.
More sunshine and a change in the wind direction are expected to bring the warmest weather of the year so far, said the forecaster.
The UK was this week finally treated to summer weather earlier this month before the mercury dropped again.
Now, temperatures could reach up to 10C above average across most of England and Wales on Tuesday, according to the Met Office.
It is possible that top temperatures could reach 23C or 24C, but the nights will still be cold at about 4C-7C.
A “large chunk” of England could be enjoying these temperatures which would be “very warm for the time of year”, according to Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge.
From early next week the temperatures continue to climb as the wind changes direction to a south-easterly and we tap into some warmer air from the near continent.
Mr Partridge said: “For a lot of central and south-eastern England on Monday and Tuesday, there is quite possibly the chance that we will see temperatures around the low to mid 20s in the early part of the week.
“Certainly on Monday and Tuesday, the potential 23C is pretty high with a with a small chance of seeing 24C – but even 23C for parts of the Midlands would put them 10C above average for the time of year.
“There’s a pretty good chance of seeing that early next week, which is obviously very warm for the time of year.
“Obviously, 23C is not record breaking in terms of absolute temperatures, but for the end of April, that is well above average.”
It looks like Sunday’s London Marathon runners will have to endure temperatures of 21C to 22C as they try to complete the 26.2 mile course.
Some 56,000 people are expected to tackle the route in what is the 45th edition of the event.
It could enter the record books as the largest marathon in the world if the number of finishers surpasses the 55,646 who completed the New York Marathon in November.
The TCS Mini London Marathon will also take place on Saturday, with about 17,000 children due to run, jog, walk, or wheel one mile (1.6 kilometres).
Temperatures will then rise in the following days, becoming widely above average on Monday and Tuesday.
While northern regions of the UK will continue to see some cloud and scattered showers on Monday, the rest of the country will stay dry and bright with temperatures of up to 24C in the South East.
The highest temperature of the year so far is 24C (75F), seen at Northolt in northwest London on Saturday 12 April.
The settled conditions will bring plenty of sunshine, with UV levels expected to be around moderate.
Highs of 22 to 24C along with glorious sunshine can be expected next week.
The warm spell of weather is expected to start on Sunday but there is potential for a lot of cloud to come in from either the north or south.
Mr Partridge added: “Typically for people that are running the marathon, that (warm weather) kicks in on the wrong day.
“For those guys, they probably would have rather run the day before when it would be be three or four degrees cooler.”
Saturday will likely see patchy rain initially moving east across most of Scotland, England and Wales, with brighter conditions further north before sunny spells develop more widely into the afternoon.
Temperatures will stay around average with highs of 18C but may start to rise as the weekend progresses, particularly on Sunday.
UK 5 day weather forecast
Today
Low cloud and fog will clear, with sunny spells for most.
Rain in Northern Ireland and west Scotland, possibly reaching Cornwall and Wales later.
Odd isolated shower across Wales and southwest England. Cool in the west, warmer in the east.
Tonight
Cloud and rain across Northern Ireland slowly clearing.
Rain, locally heavy pushing eastwards into parts of Wales, Scotland and southwest England.
Elsewhere, dry with clear spells.
Saturday
Cloudy in the west with patchy rain and drizzle, dry in the east with sunny spells after a cloudy start for some.
Sunny spells also developing widely across Northern Ireland.
Sunday to Tuesday
Cloudy with outbreaks of rain in the northwest Sunday, otherwise dry with sunny spells.
Similar into next week, but temperatures climbing, feeling warm by day across England and Wales.