It is likely to be the hottest day of the year so far in many parts on Wednesday with temperatures widely above 20°C across the UK and 28-29°C possible in the south east of England.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen, said: “High pressure and southerly winds will bring warm weather for everyone over the next few days, with temperatures today fairly widely reaching 20 to 22°C and up to 26°C in southeast England. Tomorrow will be a touch warmer, with temperatures likely peaking at around 28-29°C in the southeast.”

The highest temperature so far this year is 26°C, recorded at Treknow, Cornwall on April 10th. With cloudless skies across many parts of the UK and high UV levels it is important to protect yourself from the sun if outside.

Commenting on the risk of thunderstorms on Thursday, Paul continued: “Thursday will be another warm day with hazy sunshine although there is the potential for thunderstorms to develop across England, Wales and southeast Scotland. It is across east and southeast England where these are most likely, with frequent lightning, hail and torrential downpours of up to 40mm in a few hours all possible.”
Following Thursday’s thunderstorms it’ll turn cooler and more unsettled for everyone, as an Atlantic low pressure moves close to the UK. Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Matthew Lehnert, said: “On Friday, a deep area of low pressure will track to the northwest of the UK. It will bring a spell of strong winds and a risk of gales to parts of Northern Ireland, northern England and much of Scotland. Along with strong winds, it’ll turn showery over the weekend and temperatures much cooler than earlier in the week, returning to around average for this time of year.”

As the area of low pressure moves away to the north, there are signs that more settled conditions will develop across the south through the latter half of the weekend and perhaps extend to other areas through next week.

You can get the most accurate and up to date forecast for your area using our forecast pages and by following us on Twitter and Facebook, as well as using our mobile app which is available for iPhone from the App store and for Android from the Google Play store. You can check the latest weather warnings on our severe weather warnings pages.