After weeks of miserable weather for rain-drenched Brits the mercury will begin to climb from today in time for a balmy Bank Holiday weekend.
Forecasters predict highs in the mid-20s in time for the three-day weekend and the sunnier skies will begin to take hold from Wednesday.
The sunniest regions in the south east of England will bask in relative highs of 23 C this weekend, with Monday set to see the best of the warmer weather.
In its forecast for Wednesday the Met Office says some areas will be hit by more showers today, but this will begin to ease and the temperatures will start to feel warmer.
Forecaster Clare Nasir said: "Through Wednesday morning a bit of a split with our weather. That cold northerly feeding in cloud, showery bursts of rain.
"More persistent rain for border regions, Northumberland, further west, Northern Ireland, western Scotland doing very well with some brighter weather.
"Ahead of it it we will see some sunshine for the north midlands and Wales."
She added that showers will break out in the midlands and across the south east in the morning.
But temperatures are expected to be warmer than in recent days and weeks and forecasters said there could be highs of up to 19 C today.
And as the weekend draws nearer the mercury is predicted to continue to rise before reaching peaks in the mid-20s through the Bank Holiday weekend.
It comes after a washout month saw an above-average amount of rainfall for the country.
The Met Office said that up to Saturday the country had seen an average of 109.3mm of rainfall – 157 percent of the average for the usually dry and sunny month.
This makes it the 10th wettest on record, days still to go before June.
UK Weather Forecast
Today:
Low cloud and patchy rain in the northeast will be replaced by scattered heavy showers inland here. Mostly dry with sunny spells elsewhere and feeling warmer than recently.
Tonight:
Showers over Scotland, northern and eastern England dying out leaving a chilly night with good clear spells and a few fog patches likely.
Thursday:
Dry and fine for the vast majority with good sunny spells and feeling warmer again. A chance of one or two showers in the east. Rain later for Northern Ireland.
