Londoners may be in for a taste of summer, with temperatures set to climb to 26C in the capital next week, after several days of dreary weather.
It might be time to fire up the BBQ and reach for the factor 50 sunscreen, as a spell of sunshine and dry weather could bring the warmest temperatures of the year so far.
The Met Office is forecasting highs of 24 to 25C in the capital by the middle of next week, as the UK taps into a warmer air mass sweeping in from the continent.
The BBC weather forecast has temperatures hitting 26C on Wednesday and Thursday.
Elsewhere in the UK, temperatures are set to rise between 21 and 23C, with cities like Birmingham, Manchester, and Newcastle also basking in the warmth.
The Met Office's long range weather forecast from April 28 to May 7 said: "Most likely starting off widely fine with sunny spells, following the clearance of early morning mist and fog. This most likely in the south, whilst in the north there's a greater chance of more cloud which may take some time to clear."
Thousands of runners taking part in the TCS London Marathon will need to stay well-hydrated, with temperatures expected to climb to 21 to 22C by mid-afternoon—just as many participants are expected to cross the finish line.
Some 56,000 people are expected to tackle the 26.2-mile route in what is the 45th edition of the event. It could enter the record books as the largest marathon in the world if the number of finishers surpasses the 55,646 who completed the New York Marathon in November.
The TCS Mini London Marathon will also take place on Saturday, with around 17,000 children due to run, jog, walk, or wheel one mile (2.6km).
Oli Claydon, spokesman for the Met Office, said: "It's looking like the marathons for both Manchester and London will be dry.
"There is an area of rain that's going to push into western parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland through Sunday morning.
“It'll break up pretty quickly and fragment into showers through the morning, bringing some rain and cloud across Scotland, Northern Ireland and far north of England, but conditions better for the South and across England and Wales.
"Temperatures shouldn't be a problem for the morning, but the temperature will build during the day.
"Highs of potentially 22 degrees (are likely) in south-eastern England, but obviously that max won't be seen until mid afternoon, so with most people getting under way in the morning, hopefully the cooler morning temperatures will be more comfortable for the runners."
A heavy band of rain will affect Northern Ireland and some other westernmost areas on Friday before slowly clearing to the east overnight, but no weather warnings have been issued, the forecaster said.
Dry conditions and lighter winds are expected elsewhere across the UK, with low cloud and the chance of the odd shower clearing to give some warm spells of sunshine and highs of 18C in the South East.
Saturday will likely see patchy rain initially moving east across most of Scotland, England and Wales, with brighter conditions further north before sunny spells develop more widely into the afternoon.
