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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Imogen Braddick

UK weather forecast: Brits set for week of sunshine before temperatures hit 26C over May Bank Holiday weekend

People enjoyed the last of the sunny weather at Regent's Park on Sunday (Picture: AP)

Brits are set to bask in days of glorious sunshine with temperatures set to hit 26C over the May Bank Holiday weekend.

It comes after the UK recorded its sunniest April on record this year, with temperatures soaring to 24C at one point.

The mercury could creep even higher this week, potentially hitting 26C on Saturday, before plummeting on Sunday.

The Met Office said most of the UK will see bright sunshine this week, with the potential for some heavy showers in the southwest.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge told the Standard: "We are in for a spell of warmer weather up to the weekend, and then the most likely evolution is that we will get a much colder spell of weather coming down from the north, bringing daytime temperatures tumbling."

Temperatures are set to reach 20C on Wednesday, rising to 23C on Thursday, 24C on Friday, before potentially hitting 26C on Saturday.

But Saturday's high temperatures will be the last day of the spring sunshine for a while, Mr Madge said, as temperatures tumble to 12C or 13C on Sunday.

"On Sunday, we will start to see a much cooler influence as we get an airstream from much further north, bringing temperatures down to low double figures," he said.

"In the space of 24 hours, temperatures will go from mid 20s to 12C and 13C.

"We will feel a very noticeable change which is not necessarily unusual for this time of year.

"It's going to feel much cooler."

People enjoying the warm weather in Battersea Park, London on April 19 (PA)

He added: "25C is quite warm for this time of year, and there has been some talk of heatwave, but this doesn't fit with our definition of a heatwave."

Despite warning that there is potential for clouds and heavy showers in the southwest and further north, Mr Madge said most areas of the UK should see bright sunshine.

"Everywhere apart from Cornwall should see bright sunshine," Mr Madge said. "A good week in prospect, but not necessarily wall to wall sunshine."

Brits are reminded that lockdown measures to curb the spread of coronavirus are still in place, restricting people from leaving their homes for non-essential reasons.

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