The UK is set for its warmest May Day Bank Holiday ever on a scorching weekend – but Britons will have to make the most of the nice weather before rain and thunderstorms arrive next week.
Temperatures are expected to reach 79F (26C) today and could hit as high as 84F (28C) on Monday, making it the hottest early May holiday since it was introduced in 1978.
The South East can expect the highest temperatures, while Wales and Scotland will also see those in the mid to high 70s.
The sun rises over the City of London, as seen from Richmond Park, as the Bank Holiday Monday is forecast to be the hottest since records began
Dawn breaks over Wharfedale viaduct near Leeds, West Yorkshire, on a warm Sunday morning
Dawn breaks over Wharfedale viaduct near Leeds, West Yorkshire, as temperatures are expected to hit 21 degrees
The sun rises over London as temperatures are set to hit a high of 84F on Bank Holiday Monday
Met Office forecaster Mark Wilson said: ‘It is likely to be the warmest early May Bank Holiday Monday since the first in 1978, beating the 74.5F (23.6C) record.
‘There’s also a 30 per cent chance Monday will exceed 83.5F to be the warmest day recorded over this holiday weekend since 1978.
‘It’s a weekend for suntan lotion, with temperatures 10C above average for this time of the year.’
The heatwave is being caused by hot air arriving from 30C southern Russia, the Met Office said – weeks after ‘Beast from the East’ cold air from the same region froze Britain.
The Angel of the North stands proudly above the fog on Tyneside this morning with temperatures soaring across the country
The record for the early May Bank Holiday is 74.5F, set in 1999 in Martyr Worthy, Hants, and Worcester and Malden, both Worcs.
Tuesday will remain warm before temperatures ease and showers begin to hit the UK during the week. By Friday some longer spells of rain may arrive into the west, while heavy showers may hit the South East.
The north and west are likely to see strong winds and spells of rain at times during the week, with a risk of thunderstorms in the south over the weekend.
Temperatures may be initially below normal, but will recover to close to average.
Photographer Usman Dawood takes pictures as dawn breaks over Wharfedale viaduct near Leeds this morning
The Angel of the North pictured in Gateshead this morning as temperatures are set to break May Day Bank Holiday records