Warm weekend to take us by storm!

TEMPERATURES will be well above average this weekend – but it won’t quite be the barbecue bank holiday many hoped for as thunderstorms are set to roll in as well.

Southern areas will enjoy heat of up to 78F (26C) over the next few days, while northern England could reach 75F (24C) in places.

This means Britain will rival temperatures in North Africa, with 77F (25C) forecast for the Moroccan city of Marrakech.

But the trade- off will be sporadic rain and even downpours across some parts of the South.

MeteoGroup forecaster Gareth Harvey said: ‘There could be up to an inch of rain in an hour.

‘That could be almost anywhere where there are thunderstorms on Saturday or Sunday, although it will happen in just a few locations. It’s not raining all the time, so it won’t be a complete washout. But be prepared for heavy downpours, although you might also need suncream.’

The temperatures will be well above average for May, which typically sees thermometers average 64F (18C) in the South and 60F (16C) in the North.

This weekend the North should have the most settled weather thanks to an area of high pressure.

Pleasant and largely dry conditions will see the North peak at around 71F (22C) today and 75F (24C) over the next two days.

Further south it will be warmer, particularly around London, East Anglia and the Home Counties, which are expected to reach 78F (26C) today, 77F (25C) tomorrow and 78F again on Monday.

But with low pressure dragging in thundery downpours from the continent it will feel very humid, while Sunday could bring frequent lightning.

This weekend’s weather had previously been forecast to reach highs of 86F (30C). However, Met Office forecaster Bonnie Diamond said this was ‘not impossible but less likely’ now.

During the May Day bank holiday earlier this month it reached 83.7F (28.7C) in Northolt, NorthWest London. But that was still short of the hottest day ever recorded in May which came in 2012, when the Scottish Highlands reached 87.6F (30.9C). The hottest day of this year so far was April 19, when it was 84.4F (29.1C) in London’s St James’s Park.