Temperatures hit 24C on Sunday, Bank Holiday Monday expected to be hottest day of the year
Temperatures hit 24C on Sunday and the warm weather is set to continue with forecasters expecting Monday to be the hottest day of the year.
The mercury reached 24C at Achnagart in Scotland - not quite enough to hit this year's record, which was set on March 30 at Kew Gardens when the temperature hit 24.5C.
Weather forecasters say Bank Holiday Monday will see highs of 25C
Britons flocked to parks, beaches and pub gardens to enjoy the sunshine over the long weekend after weeks stuck indoors due to a combination of heavy downpours and Covid-19 restrictions.
Forecasters at the Met Office warned people to slap on plenty of sun cream as UV light levels will be high or very high.
The weekend started well as London and the South East recorded highs of 21C on Saturday, sending people flocking to beaches and parks.
In Cambridge, a floating bar did a roaring trade with the punters out on the River Cam and all those lining the banks.
A dry Monday with warm sunshine is predicted for most areas, with early cloud over sections of England and Scotland again forecast to shift back to North Sea coastal regions as the day progresses.
Becky Mitchell, a meteorologist from the Met Office, said: “We are expecting highs of 25C (77F) tomorrow (Monday), so the warmest day of the year so far, and both today and tomorrow we will see temperatures in the low 20s in most parts of the UK, even in northern Scotland.”
She continued: “The only exception is along the east coast – there is quite a lot of low cloud, mist and fog in east coastal areas and that will stay for the next few days, so highs of between 12C (53.6F) and 16C (60.8F) there – quite a lot lower than elsewhere.”
But Ms Mitchell warned there could be some thunderstorms on the way.
“There will potentially be some thunderstorms by midweek, the first bout of showers will come into parts of the South West and there will be a few thunderstorms in that,” she said.
Storms are expected to hit the South West on Wednesday, with some rain in the South East by Friday.
Ms Mitchell said: “There’s a chance of some thundery break down in the South East and we could have some quite intense storms there.
“There’s still a lot of uncertainty but with the warm and humid weather we are having we have the key ingredients for thunderstorms.”
She continued: “The warmer weather will stick around until at least Thursday in most places, that’s when we could get some slightly fresher air coming in.
“Temperatures will possibly peak on Wednesday, with highs of up to 27C.”
May was the fourth wettest on record for the UK, and the wettest ever for Wales.