The UK is set to enjoy temperatures hotter than Ibiza this week, as forecasters expect the mercury to reach as high as 17C.
The Met Office said it expects the hottest temperatures of the year so far over the coming days, with a warm spell expected to last most of the week.
Following a bright but chilly start to March, with temperatures plunging below freezing in southern parts of the UK on Monday morning, Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey said the warmer weather would be felt “quite widely” across the country.
Ms Maxey told The Independent: “The warmest temperatures this week are likely to be in the south of the UK and they could reach mid-teens quiet widely with perhaps an isolated 16C or 17 mid-week. The warm temperatures will be with us most of the week.”
Such clement conditions would mean that parts of the UK are hotter than popular winter sun destinations such as Ibiza and Barcelona over some of the next few days – with Wednesday looking set to be the UK’s warmest day so far in 2025.
However overnight temperatures could continue fall to just a few degrees above freezing later in the week, with “easily 15C difference at times”, said Ms Maxey. The Met Office has warned the mercury could fall as low as -7C overnight on Monday.
“The sun is high in the sky during spring meaning temperatures can rise in the day but stay cool at night due to the moderating effect of the ocean temperature,” said Ms Maxey.
Despite the warmer picture, wet and windy weather is still expected over the course of the week, particularly in Scotland.
The Met Office forecasts that it will turn increasingly wet and windy though for northern and western Scotland on Tuesday, with gales possible later in the day. It will often remain cloudy and windy in northern parts of the UK throughout the rest of the working week, with rain forecast particularly in Scotland.
Are you hoping for more sunshine this week? Or will you see cloud and rain?
— Met Office (@metoffice) March 2, 2025
Here's an overview of the weather for the week ahead 👇 pic.twitter.com/7OJsVVp28E
And despite there being minimal rain expected in England, save for brief spells on Wednesday and Friday, the Environment Agency has issued 42 flood alerts in locations where flooding is possible.
These have mostly been issued in southern areas but also along the Tyne, Wyre, Humber and Lune estuaries further north, and along the north Norfolk coastline.
A more severe flood warning – where flooding is expected – has also been issued due to high groundwater levels on Salisbury Plain, where residents are warned to brace for sewers and cellars to become inundated, with flooding also expected on roads and other surfaces.
This week marks the first week of meteorological spring, which covers the months of March, April and May. Last year’s meteorological spring was the warmest on record, when the average mean temperature for the UK was 9.37C.
