Hot as Hawaii! Get set to sizzle on 86F weekend
BRITAIN could be as hot as Hawaii over the bank holiday weekend, with the warmest temperatures of the year so far.
It could reach 86F (30C) in some places in South-East England on Sunday – the same as Honolulu. And maximum temperatures of 81F (27C) are likely elsewhere too.
Southern Britain is also likely to be hotter than North Africa, with 77F (25C) forecast in the Moroccan city of Marrakech.
But forecasters warned that with the sizzling conditions comes the risk of thundery showers, particularly in the South.
The Met Office said that after a warm but wet end to this week, the bright weekend weather should last for several days.
Today and tomorrow are likely to be a mixture of sunshine and thunder storms.
Heavy showers are likely in the South today, while the North is due to remain mostly dry.
But further rain is expected tomorrow in the Midlands and moving northwards.
Saturday will be mainly fine and becoming increasingly warm, with a risk of showers in the South. Maximum temperatures of 72F (22C) in the North and 79F (26C) in the South are likely.
Then on Sunday the SouthEast is predicted to reach 86F (30C). The North and West of England and Wales are likely to be fine and dry but with slightly lower temperatures heading into bank holiday Monday, peaking at 73F (23C).
Predictions for the weekend follow record- breaking heat during the early May bank holiday, when 83.7F (28.7C) was recorded at Northolt, NorthWest London. The warmest May day on record came in 2012, when 87.6F (30.9C) was recorded in the Scottish Highlands.
The recent warmer weather has also seen Britain come out in bloom. After one of the longest, coldest and wettest winters on record, the warm May temperatures have brought many spring-time plants and flowers out all at once.
Among the most spectacular attractions has been Exbury Gardens, in the New Forest, Hampshire, where visitors have enjoyed the vibrant purples, pinks and reds of the area’s wisteria, azaleas and Acer trees.
Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: ‘The warm weather is being caused by a dominant area of high pressure, which is dragging air north from parts of France. We are likely to see the warmest day of the year so far, with 86F (30C) possible in isolated parts of South-East England on Sunday.’