The sun is set to shine as lockdown measures ease this week – and record temperatures could be within reach.
It may be as hot as 24C in parts of England on Tuesday as the predicted heatwave ushers in Britain's first taste of freedom for months.
From tomorrow, gatherings of up to six people will be allowed outside.
The balmy weather also comes with the arrival of British Summer Time, so there will be more opportunity to enjoy daylight in the evening.
Towards the middle of the week, the Met Office has said some regions including southeast England could be enjoying highs of 24C.
The hot spell predicted by Tuesday would make it only the second day in March that the temperature has been so high in records stretching back to 1884.
It would make areas of the UK hotter than Ibiza.
People have already been making the most of sunnier weather this weekend, heading to parks and beaches ahead of tomorrow's relaxation of restrictions. Online sales of garden chairs and loungers are booming.
But temperatures are set to drop again over the Easter weekend, with a risk of some wintry showers in the North East.
From tomorrow, England's "stay at home" rules will be scrapped and small weddings, barbecues and team sports will be given the go-ahead in the first stage of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's "roadmap" out of lockdown.
The “stay home” rule becomes “stay local”, and people can get together in gardens or parks in groups of six, or two households can meet up.
Millions are gearing up for so-called "Magic Monday", when they will be able to see friends and family for the first time in months.
Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: "Temperatures of 24C or above have only been recorded on one day in March – March 29 1968 - when a range of stations recorded high temperatures, with the maximum being 25.6C at Mepal in Cambridgeshire.
"Therefore if temperatures rise to 24C next week, that will be only the second day in records going back to 1884 that the UK has seen a March temperature reach 24C."
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Andy Page said: “From Saturday we are going to see a change in weather across the UK, with the northern and southern parts of Britain experiencing quite marked differences.
"The northern half of Britain will see strong winds and heavy rain, especially in parts of Western Scotland where a Yellow warning for rain will be in force for 48 hours from 6pm on Sunday evening.”
He added: “However, in sheltered central and southern parts of the UK, weather conditions will be much calmer with temperatures climbing in the March sunshine to highs into the low 20s, with the possibility of 24.0 C in southeast England by Tuesday."
The weather at Easter can be temperamental. The maximum temperature recorded in March was 25.6C, on March 29 1968 at Mepal in Cambridgeshire.
In 2013, Britain recorded its coldest Easter Sunday, when -12.5 C was measured at Braemar in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
