Britain to be hotter than GREECE on Friday before sweltering 29C April heatwave hits next week

In pictures: Morning walkers enjoy soaring temperatures at West Bay, Devon

Spring has finally sprung, with much of the country being treated to some fine, warm weather over the last four days.

In this image, walkers on the beach enjoy the warm afternoon spring sunshine at the seaside resort of West Bay in Dorset.

Much like the rest of the country, temperatures soared after an overcast morning.

Meteogroup forecast for tonight and tomorrow

It will be a dry night, with clear skies for most.

There will be some patchy cloud in the evening over parts of northern England, with cloud also over Scotland in the early hours of the morning.

Widespread mist will develop, especially over parts of Scotland and England. Gentle south-easterly winds

Tuesday will be mostly dry with lengthy sunny spells and the risk of a shower, especially in the evening, for parts of northern England.

Britain to swelter through one of the hottest springs EVER 

One of the hottest springs on record is thought to be on its way – with temperatures tipped to hit 29C (84F).

Forecasters say glorious sunshine and below-average rainfall is expected.

Tropical breezes from Spain this weekend provided a taste of things to come.

In its three-month outlook for councils and businesses, the Met Office said: “The chance of a warm spring is much higher than normal.”

Bookmakers cut odds on April being the hottest on record to 4/5.

Coral’s Harry Aitkenhead said: “The odds say we’ll roast.”

Cleaning hack to get the patio looking its best before summer

Now that the weather is warming up, you might feel the pull to get back into your garden.

But after months of rain and storms, it’s probably looking a bit worse for wear, especially your patio.

Patios can harbour inches of thick sludge that builds up in the nooks and crannies.

Luckily, keen cleaners know that there is a simple trick you can use to get your patio area looking fresh and ready for your first BBQ of the season.

Normal household bleach is great for outdoors as well as indoors.

The cleaning product can be mixed with boiling water and scrubbed with a hard brush, if you want to use a little less elbow grease make sure you leave the bleach to sit for 10-15 minutes before you start scrubbing.

The bleach will help cut through the sludge what has built up in the cracks of your patio over winter, restoring it to its former glory.

Britain to swelter through one of the hottest springs EVER 

One of the hottest springs on record is thought to be on its way – with temperatures tipped to hit 29C (84F).

Forecasters say glorious sunshine and below-average rainfall is expected.

Tropical breezes from Spain this weekend provided a taste of things to come.

In its three-month outlook for councils and businesses, the Met Office said: “The chance of a warm spring is much higher than normal.”

Bookmakers cut odds on April being the hottest on record to 4/5.

Coral’s Harry Aitkenhead said: “The odds say we’ll roast.”

Most areas of UK to be warmer than Corfu this weekend

Temperatures may get close to 20C (68F) this week, and it will still be warm at the weekend.

Most areas are set to be hotter than 16C Corfu and Greece.

Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said: “Warmth will be a topic of conversation – perhaps nudging 20C locally. Warm air will push up from the south.

“With prolonged sunny spells, it will generally feel warm or very warm. Many can expect settled days.”

Early april forecast

Turning more unsettled during early April, with showers or longer periods of rain.

These showers are likely to be heavy at times, with hail and thunder.

Drier and more settled spells are still possible but are likely to be more short-lived.

Temperatures are most likely to be near average, or perhaps slightly below at times.

Thanks for reading

Joe Gamp here, signing off from today’s UK weather live blog.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our real time, rolling coverage throughout the day.

My colleague Louis Allwood will return with the latest forecasts from 6am.

In pictures: Clear skies over London’s Tower Bridge

These pictures show people enjoying the spring sunshine on London riverside during a warm spell.

Temperatures are forecast to reach 20C in London and south east England over the next ten days.

The Met Office on April’s weather

Met Office meteorologists admit that, heading into April, “temperatures are likely to be above average”.

It will locally “feel warm”, too, according to the Met Office.

However, looking ahead from April 2, the Met Office seem unsure of whether or not there will be a heatwave. The agency predicts: “Drier and more settled spells are still possible but are likely to be more short-lived. Temperatures are most likely to be near average, or perhaps slightly below at times.”

‘Big weather highlights’ to hit in April

It has been claimed by weather experts that there is a possibility of a heatwave in April.

Weather expert Jim Dale told the Express: “I think hot weather could come in fairly early as far as April is concerned perhaps. I know March is the start of spring but I think we’re probably going to get properly into April before we start to see the searing sort of temperatures.” 

He also added: “Longer-term, given what’s happening globally in terms of the temperature profiles in the southern hemisphere and what’s also happening in the United States, I would not be surprised if we started to see some big highlights – in whichever direction it goes, either cold or hot.”

Weather for this evening and tonight

Mainly dry with variable cloud and clear spells, although still the risk of a light shower from thicker patches of cloud moving north.

Frost more restricted to the north.

Some fog patches across the Midlands and southern England.

Met Office advises protection in sun as UV levels creep to moderate

The Met Office has published a list of areas in teh UK with moderate UV levels.

The weather agency said: “It’s that time of the year when many areas are beginning to see moderate levels of UV – 3 to 5 on the index

“With prolonged sunny intervals forecast this week, make sure you start taking precautions if outside for long periods of time, as your skin may start to burn.”

Spring sunshine to provide lift for tourism bosses

The Met Office, which considers spring to be the months of March, April and May, said 24C (75F) was expected in weeks, with 29C (84F) due later in the season.

It will lift tourism bosses hoping for bumper trade this year.

Brits made the most of the balmy conditions this weekend, filling beaches, parks and pub beer gardens, as spring finally arrived.

Settled weather continuing into tonight

The Met Office says the settled conditions will continue into this evening after another hot spring day.

Temperatures reached 20C in parts of the UK.

The weather agency said: “The largely settled theme of our weather continues into Monday evening.

“A mixture of clear spells and cloud across the UK, and staying mostly dry.”

Odds slashed on hottest April since records began

The UK has basked in its hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures reaching 20C.

Leading bookmaker Coral makes it odds on at 4-5 that next month is to be the warmest April since records began.

“Temperatures are on the rise and with spring beginning now, hopes are high for a scorching April. So make it odds on to enter the record books as the UK’s hottest ever,” said Coral’s Harry Aitkenhead.

Meteogroup forecast for tonight and tomorrow

It will be a dry night, with clear skies for most.

There will be some patchy cloud in the evening over parts of northern England, with cloud also over Scotland in the early hours of the morning.

Widespread mist will develop, especially over parts of Scotland and England. Gentle south-easterly winds

Tuesday will be mostly dry with lengthy sunny spells and the risk of a shower, especially in the evening, for parts of northern England.

Most areas of UK to be warmer than Corfu this weekend

Temperatures may get close to 20C (68F) this week, and it will still be warm at the weekend.

Most areas are set to be hotter than 16C Corfu and Greece.

Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said: “Warmth will be a topic of conversation – perhaps nudging 20C locally. Warm air will push up from the south.

“With prolonged sunny spells, it will generally feel warm or very warm. Many can expect settled days.”

Britain to swelter through one of the hottest springs EVER 

One of the hottest springs on record is thought to be on its way – with temperatures tipped to hit 29C (84F).

Forecasters say glorious sunshine and below-average rainfall is expected.

Tropical breezes from Spain this weekend provided a taste of things to come.

In its three-month outlook for councils and businesses, the Met Office said: “The chance of a warm spring is much higher than normal.”

Bookmakers cut odds on April being the hottest on record to 4/5.

Coral’s Harry Aitkenhead said: “The odds say we’ll roast.”

Temperatures falling as we move into the evening in Edinburgh

Winds will be much lighter than of late as we move into the afternoon with maximum temperatures of 11 °C.

The night will turn colder but will remain dry and it will be rather cloudy during the first part.

Quite cold with light southeasterly winds with minimum temperatures falling to around 2 °C.

Thanks for reading

Thanks for reading, that’s all from me today, I will now hand you over to my colleague Joseph Gamp who will be with you until 10pm.