Manchester hotter than Athens, Barcelona and Los Angeles today as warm weather is set to continue

Temperatures will continue to soar until the end of the Easter holidays, forecasters say.

Today Manchester has been hotter than Athens, Barcelona, and Los Angeles, with the mercury peaking at around 23C.

The usual maximum temperature for Manchester in April is 11.4C.

And the hot weather is expected to continue into Easter Monday.

Forecasters are predicting that temperatures should again reach 23C, with wall to wall sunshine throughout the day.

The fountains in Piccadilly Gardens will have been a magnet for youngsters wanting to cool down during the hot Easter weekend (Joel Goodman)

Enjoy it while is lasts, though, as it is expected to get gradually cooler during the week, with some rain also anticipated.

The Met Office said the warm weather is due to high pressure over Scandinavia, and winds coming from a warmer southeasterly direction.

Frank Saunders, the Met Office's chief meteorologist, said: "Temperatures will continue to rise day by day and with the sun getting stronger at this time of year, it’s going to feel warm or very warm across much of the country this Easter weekend.

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"Temperatures will reach into the low 20s Celsius quite widely and there’s a good chance some places particularly in the south could see temperatures peaking around 24 to 25 Celsius.

"With temperatures usually around 12 to 15 Celsius at this time of year, it’s certainly going to be significantly warmer than average this Easter weekend and quite a contrast to the colder weather we’ve seen so far this month."

Forecasters are predicting that temperatures should 23C again tomorrow (Manchester Evening News)

On Tuesday temperatures are expected to reach 21C, and it is expected to be a more cloudy day.

Hay fever sufferers are advised to stock up on antihistamines as there will be high pollen levels until Tuesday.

Suncream, a hat and sunglasses are also essentials for those out making the most of the sun, with UV levels also higher than normal.

Then on Wednesday temperatures are forecast to reach 19C, with some rain in the evening.

It is expected to then fall into the mid to low teens for the rest of the week, with more rain showers predicted.

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