Britain is expected to enjoy 18C sunshine today with forecasters saying it could be the warmest day of the year so far. The temperature is likely to be higher than Greek islands including Crete, Mykonos and Santorini, which are expected to see the mercury rise to 17C, 14C and 16C respectively.
There is an 80 percent chance temperatures will break this year’s countrywide record of 17.8C on Easter Sunday, according to the Met Office.
Temperatures are expected to reach 18C in parts of the Midlands and the Welsh Borders.
This would set a new record for the warmest day of 2023, beating the current highest temperature of 17.8C on March 30 in the village of Santon Downham, Suffolk.
Meanwhile, the mercury reached just 12C in Rome on Saturday and the UK was also hotter than the southern French city of Marseilles (14C) and nearby Monaco (15C).
Forecasters have warned Britons not to underestimate the strength of the Sun, with UV levels as strong in April as in late August, carrying the risk of sunburn.
The Easter Weekend warmth is expected to end on Wednesday with a washout as the Met Office warns of 70mph winds lashing parts of Britain.
Maps show show an aggressive weather system will batter the UK from the West, starting later today (April 9).
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Scotland records highest temperature so far this year
The mercury rose to 17.3C in Kinlochewe in the Scottish Highlands on Saturday (April 8) as Britons basked in glorious sunshine over the Easter weekend.
Heatwave next week ‘not on the cards’, forecaster says
Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said: “It will be a bit of a cloudier start to (Easter Sunday) across the centre and east, which will lift and break during the course of the morning and into the afternoon.
“Further west it will be a beautiful start to the day with sunny spells that will allow temperatures to rise comfortably into the mid-teens.
“There is an 80 percent chance of 18C temperatures in east Wales and the West Midlands.”
However there will be “quite a marked change in the weather” as rain arrives in Northern Ireland on Sunday before spreading to the rest of the UK on Easter Monday, with the possibility of thunderstorms in some places.
Met Office forecaster Craig Snell described Easter Monday as “the day to do anything you want indoors”.
It is expected to turn gloomier as the working week begins with the possibility of severe gales in some parts of the country – which could trigger Met Office weather warnings.
This more wintry weather is not expected to lift until after April 17 and a heatwave is not on the cards next week.
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