It’s Summer Time... clocks go forward tonight
THE clocks go forward tomorrow and the arrival of British Summer Time will be marked by almost summer-like temperatures.
Warm southerly winds will bring in milder air from the Continent and temperatures could reach 68F (20C) next week.
Most of the country will have blue skies and wall-to-wall sunshine today but the nights will still be chilly before the warmest spell of the year so far makes parts of Britain hotter than Turkey.
Met Office forecaster Emma Sharples said: “Temperatures will notch up as we go through the weekend and into next week.
“Saturday is looking like the better day of the weekend with pretty much wall-to-wall sunshine everywhere apart from the far North. A keen wind along the coasts will make it feel cold there but Wales could hit 64F, making it the hottest day of the year so far for the region.
“Next week we see a southerly air flow bringing milder conditions in from the Continent. Together with high pressure over the UK and the stronger sun we could see 68F, which would be the warmest spell of weather so far this year.
“It is worth pointing out that the nights will be cold and we could still see the odd morning frost or patchy fog.” The promise of good weather will help make up for the loss of an hour’s sleep tomorrow.
The weather for Mother’s Day will be mild and largely sunny although there will be more cloud around, say forecasters.
Temperatures in the South will hit 61F although coastal regions could feel much cooler at around 50F. Scotland and the North will see highs of 57F.
Weather-Online forecaster Simon Keeling said western regions may turn wetter towards the middle of next week. “High pressure will build to bring a few fair days through the weekend and into the early stages of the new week. However, low pressure develops to the West into the middle stages of next week bringing rain here. Eastern and southern areas will see less rain and will tend to turn drier again later in the week as higher pressure returns.”
Exacta Weather forecaster James Madden said: “High pressure will become a dominant feature across our shores throughout much of next week.
“This will result in a dry weather pattern overall and it will feel pleasant with temperatures reaching the mid to high teens.
“However, night time temperatures could dip quite low for the time of year and frost or ice could cause problems.”
IF YOU thought that the migrant crisis on the other side of the Channel was easing, then think again. Today we report from France where masked gangs are regularly breaking in to trucks and lorries heading for the UK, which have stopped at a motorway service station near Dunkirk and Calais.
The long overdue destruction of the Calais “Jungle” camp last year was hailed as a means of ending the migrant crisis but this newspaper’s investigation makes it clear that the hordes who are intent on coming to Britain have dispersed to an extent but have not really gone away.
The French authorities have not made sufficient efforts to end the epidemic of human trafficking which is leading to violence on a daily basis. The desperation of the migrants who are intent on coming to Britain by any means is matched by the unscrupulousness and viciousness of the gangs of people smugglers. Wearing hoods they lurk at the side of the road waiting for trucks to leave the motorway.
This will be the third summer plagued by chaos on the roads outside Calais. Migrants are returning to the areas in ever increasing numbers. While France has a part to play Britain must also do more to ensure that weak borders are not an invitation to desperate migrants and wicked traffickers. Only if the borders are strong will they be deterred.