A 900-mile wide Spanish plume is set to bring a three-month heatwave to the UK.
After the scorching Easter weekend, which was followed by days of cold weather rounded off by Storm Hannah, forecasters say temperatures are set to rise by Bank Holiday weekend, thanks to the jet of hot air on its way from the continent.
Some forecasters are now predicting a high temperature of 26C at the weekend - which would beat the 25.5C recorded by the Met Office on Easter Saturday in Gosport, Hampshire.
And warm temperatures could be here to stay, as forecasters predict higher-than-average temperatures until the beginning of July.
The Met Office's long range forecast says that "For May and May, June and July as a whole, above-average temperatures are more likely than below-average temperatures."
UK weather forecast: 900-mile wide 'Spanish plume' to bring sizzling 26C heat
And after a wet and cold weekend, Meteogroup forecaster Paul Mott has said the plume will bring warmer temperatures this weekend, as Brits enjoy the first of two May bank holidays.
He said: "There will be a big change from a wet and cold weekend, with temperatures rising through the week as warmth from Spain is most likely to arrive leading into the Bank Holiday weekend.
“Temperatures over the long weekend are expected climb into the low 20s at least, with a decent chance of highs around Easter’s maximum temperature of 25.5C.
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“There is increasing support for warmth to last until Bank Holiday Monday.
“There is a less likely scenario of temperatures not being quite as warm - but even if that happens, dry and pleasant conditions are still expected due to high pressure."
A Spanish plume is a weather pattern in which a plume of warm air moves from the Iberian plateau or the Sahara to northwest Europe.
