The Met Office has revealed the UK towns and cities that could swelter in blistering 21C temperatures this weekend.
According to the latest forecasts, 13 places in the UK, including parts of East Anglia, Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, will see the mercury soar to 20C on what would be the hottest day of the year so far, while dozens more areas will enjoy temperatures of up to 18C or 19C. Norwich is predicted to be the hottest place in the country on Saturday, with an estimated temperature of 21C at around 1pm on April 6.
Speaking to Express.co.uk yesterday, forecaster Craig Snell said: “We are expecting a brief spell of warmer weather during the coming weekend with potentially SE England and East Anglia seeing 20C, although it may feel a little cooler than that because of the strength of the wind.”
“Elsewhere across the UK we will also see temperatures above average with temperatures in northern England reaching around 16 or 17C, and potentially up to 14 or 15C in southern Scotland.
“After Saturday temperatures will trend downwards a little, but will still be a little above average for the time of year with a max in the south around 16 or 17C.”
Weather maps show that Scotland will remain fairly cool on Saturday, with highs of 15C. Northern Ireland will see similar temperatures, peaking at around 11C.
It comes as weather expert Jim Dale, who is the founder and the Senior Meteorological Consultant at British Weather Services, said he has a “watching brief” for any high temperature records that would be courtesy of air from the Spanish Canary Islands.
He said: “It’s down to a strong but warm southerly wind, origins of the air from near the Canary Islands. That coupled with sunny spells will see parts of SE England and East Anglia breach 20 deg C. 21 (70f) being a target.
“Significantly hotter across western/central parts of the Mediterranean. Watching brief for any high temp records.”
The Met Office is predicting sunshine on Saturday – as well as showers and gales.
Its outlook for Saturday to Monday said: “Rain clearing to sunshine and showers on Saturday. Very windy, with gales in places. Another day of sunshine and blustery showers on Sunday. Some more general rain possible on Monday.”
According to the Met Office, these 13 towns will see temperatures of 20C or more this weekend:
Thetford
Ely
Sudbury
Chelmsford
Cromer
Hull
Lincoln
Louth
Boston
Norwich (21C)
Peterborough
Cambridge
Rochester
Meanwhile, temperatures are expected to hit a roasting 19C in York, London, Scunthorpe, Grantham, Wells-next-the-sea, Lowestoft and Halesworth.
Meanwhile, the Met Office predicts that it will reach a gorgeous 18C in the likes of Darlington, Whitby, Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham, Milton Keynes and Reading.
Looking ahead to next week, the Met Office long-range forecast for the period between Monday, April 8 until Wednesday, April 17 predicts that “unsettled” weather conditions are expectd to continued.
It reads: “The ongoing unsettled spell of weather is likely to continue through to mid-April with little sign of any dramatic change. All areas can expect to see showers or longer spells of rain at times, with western hills likely to see the largest rainfall totals. Likewise, further windy spells are expected at times.
“Whilst unsettled conditions are most likely to prevail, there does appear to be at least a chance of some regions having drier interludes, with high pressure perhaps making inroads from the southeast at times.
“Such occurrences will probably be short-lived however, with the greatest chance of these in the south during the middle of this period. Above average temperatures are most likely, albeit often tempered by cloud, rain and occasional strong winds.”
Thursday, April 4 until Monday, April 8
Headline:
Bright, with showers in the south. Cloudier and chilly elsewhere.
Today:
Showery rain, some heavy across England and Wales will give way to brighter spells. However, further showers developing, and later wet and windy weather arriving from the southwest. Rather cloudy and chilly further north, with patchy rain and hill snow.
Tonight:
Wet and windy weather will move north and east across all but the Northern Isles overnight. Snow affecting high ground in Scotland. Clearer, with blustery showers in the southwest later.
Friday:
Rain clearing eastwards, though lingering across parts of the north, with further hill snow here. Warm sunshine developing across England and Wales, though with showers for a time. Generally windy.
Outlook for Saturday to Monday:
Rain clearing to sunshine and showers on Saturday. Very windy, with gales in places. Another day of sunshine and blustery showers on Sunday. Some more general rain possible on Monday.
