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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Michael Howie

London weather: Capital could see UK’s hottest day of year over bank holiday weekend with 21C forecast

London is set to bask in its warmest weather of 2023 over the bank holiday weekend with the temperature tipped to reach 21C in the capital.

Forecasters are predicting a sharp rise in temperatures from Friday, bringing a welcome end to what has been a largely miserable April weather-wise.

In its latest forecast on Thursday night, the Met Office said London would see 20C on Saturday, 19C on Sunday and 21C on Monday. It reckons Friday will also be a pleasant 19C.

The Met Office’s Alex Deakin said: “Wafting up from the south is warmer air so temperatures are going to be on the rise over the next few days.”

He said the warmer air was being pulled up from the southern Atlantic by low pressure and was unconnected to the blistering heatwave being felt in parts of southern Europe, including Spain where the temperature 38C in Cordoba on Thursday - a Spanish record for April.

He said southern England would “easily” see temperatures in the high teens. “With a bit of sunshine we might top out at 20C,” he added.

It means the UK is likely to experience its warmest weather of 2023 over the bank holiday weekend.

The hottest temperature of theyear so far was recorded on Monday 17 April in Scotland, with a high of 20.2C recorded just after 12pm in Kinlochew.

Earlier in the week Britons were told to expect to enjoy “dry and mild weather” over the coronation weekend.

The King’s coronation is a little over a week away, with street parties planned across the nation.

For those looking to be outside over the long weekend, Met Office press officer Grahame Madge said that they can expect “fairly settled conditions”.

“The remaining period, which is really the period I think that we’re focusing on, brings fairly settled conditions, pushing in from the southwest with plenty of dry and mild weather across the UK,” he said.

“Temperatures (will be) generally near or slightly above average, with maximums expected in the high teens in the south of England.”

However, he warned that it was difficult to give a precise forecast this far in advance.

“That is a very generic forecast for the UK,” he said.

He added that some areas of the UK will be cooler than others.

“Above average temperatures is a reference to UK as a whole,” he said.

“That doesn’t exclude the possibility of some areas being warmer or cooler, because obviously there are many parts that make up the average.”

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