Britain is set to bask in two-days of sizzling summer-like sunshine – with new weather maps revealing the UK cities that will bake in 20C-plus temperatures. Last month was the second hottest April on record with world temperatures remaining above the key 1.5C threshold for global warming, scientists have said, and more is on the way.
But now new charts reveal how on two days in late-May swathes of the UK with bask in glorious sunshine and roast at high temperatures that could soar to 25C (77F). And a number of UK cities will enjoy at least 20C (68F) over Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th May as the summer-like sweltering mini-heatwave rolls in.
Firstly on Monday 19th May, cities and towns to enjoy at least 20C include: Bristol, Bath, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Oxford, Guildford, Northampton, Swindon, London, Cambridge, Peterborough, Coventry, Nottingham, Leicester, Stoke, Manchester, Leeds and Norwich.
Then on Tuesday 20th May the heat spreads further with these cities and towns bathing in 20C-plus heat: Ipswich, Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster, Chesterfield, Bradford, Harrogate and York.
Also roasting on Tuesday will be – Crawley, Reading, Swindon, Milton Keynes, Bristol, Bath, Northampton Cheltenham, Gloucester, Oxford, Guildford, Swindon, London, Cambridge, Peterborough, Coventry, Nottingham, Leicester, Stoke, Manchester, Leeds and Norwich.
New Met Office long range forecast for 12-21st May confirms that the weather will be “dry” with “sunny spells” for most of the UK.
The forecaster says: “Much of this period is looking dry across most of the UK, with clear or sunny spells for many areas, as high pressure likely dominates the weather pattern across the UK.
“However, at the start of this period, thicker cloud with some rain or showers, which could be heavy and thundery, is likely to affect at least the southwest of the UK, with a chance that more of the UK gets affected on Monday.
“The end of this period may also be more unsettled, particularly towards the south or southwest, with rain or showers possible again.
“Winds will mostly be light with daytime temperatures likely to be slightly above normal for the time of year, although there is a chance of some chilly nights in places.”
The UK has been basking in a drier-than-usual spring, thanks to high pressure systems hovering over Europe, despite the chillier temperatures.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Ian Lisk said: “It’s all to do with our old friend, the jet stream.
“Weather typically moves across the UK from west to east, but the north-south amplification of the jet stream has enabled areas of high pressure to hang around in the vicinity of the UK.
“This means our share of the more typical unsettled weather has been deflected away from us. It is a bit unusual for it to have been this persistent, and with the consequences of it bringing the very, very dry spring we’ve had.”
April 2025 was 0.6C above the 1991-2020 average for the month and 1.51C above pre-industrial levels, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).
This makes it the 21st month in the last 22 months for which the global average surface air temperature was more than 1.5C above the pre-industrial level.
The analysis, which used billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world, also found the last 12-month period, from May 2024 to April 2025, was 1.58C above the pre-industrial level, the estimated 1850-1900 level which is used to define the pre-industrial era.
It comes despite the emergence of the “La Nina” pattern in the Pacific which temporarily cools global temperatures.
The data also shows sea surface temperatures outside the polar regions averaged 20.89C, making it the second hottest April for the seas after last year’s record.
Temperatures were predominantly above average across Europe, with the largest warm anomalies recorded over eastern Europe, western Russia, Kazakhstan and Norway.
Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts which runs C3S, said: “Globally, April 2025 was the second hottest April on record, continuing the long sequence of months over 1.5C above pre-industrial.
“Continuous climate monitoring is an essential tool for understanding and responding to the ongoing changes of our climate system.”