UK set to bask in temperatures hotter than Athens ahead of bank holiday weekend
Sunshine and showers are expected for the first half of the week, before temperatures start to rise to highs of 26C
The UK will be hotter than Athens next week with parts of the country expected to bask in 26C sunshine ahead of the second May bank holiday weekend.
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Sunshine and showers are expected for the first half of the week, before temperatures start to rise and it will become drier and brighter by Thursday and Friday, the Met Office said.
The south east of the UK could even bask in balmy temperatures of up to 26C on Friday.
The Met Office predicts there will be highs of 26C in London, 23C in Manchester and 20C in Cardiff.
Craig Snell, forecaster at the Met Office, said: “The first half of this week is still going to be changeable, if not unsettled, across parts of the UK.
“Temperatures at the start of the week still a little subdued for the time of the year, as we head towards the weekend we are expecting to see a change.”
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Monday will be a day of sunshine and showers, some could be heavy with the occasional rumble of thunder, before a band of rain moves across most of the UK later in the day, Mr Snell said.
Blustery conditions are expected into Tuesday, with wind and rain, sometimes heavy, along with thunder.
Temperatures will begin to climb nearer to what is expected for the end of May, the forecaster said.
On Wednesday, there will be a mixture of sunshine and showers, but temperatures in the south of England will climb towards 20C.
On Thursday and Friday, it will be increasingly drier and brighter, especially for England and Wales, and maximum temperatures of 26C could be seen on Friday in the south east, Mr Snell added.
Mr Snell said after Friday it was a bit too early to say but the general trend is that it will continue.
“The best of the sunshine across the bank holiday weekend will probably be across England and Wales,” he said.
“Temperatures still above normal, potentially very warm again, but it’s a bit too far in the future to get maximums.
“Indications are at the moment that the bank holiday looks a lot better than what we’ve had over the last week or so.”