A woman next to a cherry blossom tree in St James's Park
(Picture: PA)Londoners are set to enjoy scorching weather this week as temperatures rise to 23C.
Forecasters have also predicted record-breaking temperatures of 25C from next Monday as warm winds from Spain and southern France sweep across London and the south-east.
Temperatures of around 19C are expected between Tuesday and Thursday but people will be looking forward to a better weekend ahead with higher temperatures lingering later into the evening allowing for more comfortable al fresco plans.
Richard Miles, a forecaster at the Met Office, said: “Monday is the warmest it’s going to be for the next five days. The maximum temperature will be 23C. Tomorrow will be dry and breezy – there might be chance of a shower later on.
“Wednesday and Thursday will be cooler than it has been – we can expect temperatures of between 17C to 19C on those days. And then on the weekend it will warm up a bit again and that will be the start of a general warming trend into next week.
“We may seem quite a warm southern air being drawn up from Europe to the south and we may see mid-20s early next week.”
Good Friday was the hottest day of the year so far – with highs of up to 23.4C recorded in London – but Mr Miles said this record is likely to be broken next week.
“It won’t be surprising for the Good Friday threshold to be reached next week – that’s what we’re expecting.” He added.
“People should be sensible, using sunscreen, but the majority of people today are not going to see blazing sunshine. More like sunny breaks than extended clear skies.
“You should always take precautions for the effects of ultraviolet, you can still get it even through hazy and cloudy conditions.”
The picture is mixed elsewhere, with rain lashing the North of England and temperatures in Scotland peaking around the mid-teens.
As showers gradually shift south and move up from the South West, London and South East England are likely to face rain on Tuesday or Wednesday.
“You could see a shower anywhere,” Mr Miles said.
He added the rain would be “heavy, especially given how dry it’s been”.
