Tuesday could be the UK’s hottest day of the year so far, with 25C predicted in parts of the country, which would surpass the temperatures reached on Sunday.
Dan Stroud, a Met Office meteorologist, said forecasters were expecting temperatures to reach 25C in “one or two spots … most likely across west Scotland” on Tuesday.
Sunday broke Saturday’s record for the warmest day of 2023, with Plymouth seeing 24.4C.
Stroud said: “But after that we’re expecting temperatures just to subside just a little as we move forward towards the middle and end of the week.” He added that temperatures would remain “generally above average” but not meet “heatwave criteria”.
He said: “We’ve got high pressure sending across at the moment, which is bringing dry and settled weather and some late spring, early summer sunshine.
“We’re expecting similar conditions for the rest of the week and into next weekend and probably beyond. So, an extended spell of dry and settled weather.”
Forecasters have said the high pressure has come about because the jet stream sitting to the north of the UK is holding unsettled weather systems at bay.
The hot bank holiday weather led the RAC to predict the busiest late May bank holiday since before the pandemic.
On Monday, National Highways said the M25 in Surrey would remain closed anticlockwise between junction 6 and junction 5 because of a Surrey police investigation into a serious collision.
It wrote on Twitter: “The closure is expected to be in place for several hours. Traffic within the closure is being turned around from the rear of the queue but this will take time.”
According to National Highways, there was severe congestion on several main routes on Monday including the A1, M1 and the M25. Among the worst-affected was the M6, where motorists heading past Preston in Lancashire were being told to expect delays of up to an hour on Monday afternoon.
On Sunday, the RAC predicted 19.2m leisure trips by car, adding that the period between 3pm and 7pm on Monday was expected to be the peak for traffic. Its spokesperson, Rod Dennis, said: “With the travel restrictions imposed during Covid now thankfully a distant memory, it’s clear drivers’ desire to get away has been reignited.
“The Met Office predicts largely settled weather with above average temperatures, so we’re expecting this to be a hectic period on major roads as people aim to make the most of the last long weekend before August.”
