The UK looks set to enjoy hotter weather than Barcelona this week and temperatures could top 20C.
Temperatures will be “well above average” on Monday and lighter winds mean that it will feel warm across the UK, the Met Office says, after a weekend which saw the hottest day of the year so far.
Tuesday and Wednesday is expected to be be at least 19C in parts of the country and could go even higher.
By contrast, the Met Office forecasts that the highs in the southwest European cities of Lisbon, Seville and Barcelona will all be several degrees lower on Tuesday afternoon.
Despite some reports of a looming heatwave, forecaster Richard Miles told The Independent that “nowhere is going to meet those criteria for us to term something a heatwave” this week, while it remains too early to say whether such a definition could be met in April.
“It’s basically high pressure will be in charge again for the majority of this week, but temperatures will probably be at their warmest today and tomorrow for most places and they might squeeze up to maybe 20C again tomorrow, like they did in Scotland on Saturday,” the Met Office meteorologist said.
Temperatures will remain “above average” the rest of the week, he said, adding: “It’s a sort of benign and settled weather picture for the next five or six days.”
But Mr Miles warned that “it’s not going to feel that warm in quite a lot of places because of easterly breezes, but it will be largely fine”, while “the odd shower is potentially possible for anywhere throughout the week from convection – but nothing widespread”.
While he “wouldn’t rule it out” that people could head to beaches to soak up the milder weather through the week, Mr Miles cautioned that people should “take a spare jumper” if they do so.
He added: “Next week it looks like there’s the possibility for it being more unsettled again, so not going in the direction of high temperatures. But it’s too far out to be talking about the first week of April, there’s still 10 days of March to go.”
Returning to this week’s conditions, Mr Miles said: “The interesting thing is there’s a wide diurnal range, so although the days are getting mild with widespread mid-teens and above, the nights will stay fairly chilly, so the odd frost is not out of the realms of possibility. Therefore there will be that contrast between day and night.”
Here are the forecasts in each region of the UK, according to the Met Office:
London and South East England
The weather is expected to be fine and sunny this week, with the sunshine likely to feel warm during bright spells in the afternoon on Monday, which will bring highs of 16C.
Overnight could see lows of 4C and a rare touch of rain, forecasters predict, before an even warmer day on Tuesday, with any fog patches clearing by mid-morning.
The rest of the week is expected to remain mainly dry with sunny spells and light winds, with patchy mist and fog still possible in the mornings following nights in which the weather will remain frosty.
South West England
The region is expected to see largely dry and settled weather this week, with plenty of sunny spells.
Monday will see increasing amounts of sunshine developing and most places will remain dry, although there is a small chance of showers across more central areas.
The sunshine will feel warm amid maximum temperatures of 17C, however areas along the south coast will still feel chilly.
Tuesday will bring a pleasant day with similar highs expected, although conditions may be cloudier at times across western Cornwall, with the short-term forecast suggesting the enjoyable weather will continue at least until Friday.
Midlands
Conditions will be clement across the Midlands, with plenty of sunshine and highs of 12C in the west and 15C in the east, rising to 18C across the region on Tuesday.
Overnight, temperatures could drop as low as 2C in the region, with plenty of sunny spells and largely dry weather expected in the rest of the week.
Wales
Monday is expected to bring plenty of sunshine and light winds in Wales, however some cloud will move up from the south in the afternoon with the possibility of isolated showers developing.
Most parts of the country will remain dry and frost-free overnight, with any showers easing fairly quickly to leave clear skies, with lows of 3C forecast.
Temperatures are expected to hit 18C on Tuesday, with most places avoiding showers which could develop in the afternoon.
This settled and warm weather is set to continue Wednesday to Friday, with plenty of sunny spells.
North East England
Monday morning will see cloudy weather on the east coast, with some light rain possible.
However, this wet weather is expected to clear by mid-morning, along with any fog patches elsewhere, being replaced by sunny and warm conditions blown by light winds.
Clouds will increase from the west later in the day, bringing the risk of the odd spot of rain during a night which will remain dry for most, with lows of 1C.
Tuesday will be dry for most in the region with sunny spells and light winds, however isolated showers are possible in the afternoon, most likely over the Pennines.
The rest of the working week will remain warm and mainly dry with sunny spells and light winds, although patchy mist and fog is possible in the mornings.
North West England
Monday is forecast to be a fine day with plenty of sunshine across northwest England and some light winds.
While a little more cloud is expected from the south later in the afternoon, conditions should remain dry with highs of 14C.
Cloud cover will increase for a time through the evening, with an isolated shower possible over the Pennines, but clear spells will return overnight while staying frost-free.
In line with the rest of the country, the mercury could rise to 18C on Tuesday, with most places avoiding showers which could develop in the afternoon.
This bright and sunny weather will continue through the working week, with the risk of the odd shower remaining.
Northern Ireland
Dry weather is forecast across Northern Ireland on Monday, with varying amounts of cloud and some sunny spells.
Temperatures will remain mild across the west, however onshore breezes will keep temperatures on the east coast lower, with maximum temperatures of 12C forecast.
Tuesday is expected to bring “unseasonably mild” weather in the afternoon, with early mist patches soon dispersing to bring a dry and bright day with a light southeasterly breeze and highs of 16C.
All parts of Northern Ireland are expected to remain dry and sunny through to Friday, with nearby high pressure keeping the weather settled with only light winds.
Scotland
The picture north of the border appears largely dry with sunny spells on Monday, with highs of 9C in Orkney and Shetland, and 11C in the south, where winds will be much lighter than of late.
Tuesday will be a dry, bright day in Scotland with plenty of sunshine across most of the country, becoming very mild in the north after a chilly start.
Further south, in the Lothian and Borders and in Dumfries and Galloway, thicker cloud in the afternoon may produce a few showers, as it becomes unseasonably warm across this region and in the Highlands and Strathclyde – with highs of 18C.
Mostly dry and settled weather is expected across the country between Wednesday and Friday, with the possibility of a few light showers and some cloudier conditions further north towards the end of the week.
