The mercury is set to soar this Easter weekend ushering in the hottest temperatures of the year so far, forecasters say.
Temperatures will reach a sizzling 22C in some parts of the UK from Thursday onwards - making it warmer than holiday hotspots like Zante and Palmero.
Warm, dry conditions will continue throughout the week for most of the country, apart from lingering clouds in the North West.
Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said: "If people are travelling for sunshine, then further eastern areas are more likely to see that brighter weather.
"I think in the main for the bank holiday weekend, we'll see temperatures quite widely above average across the UK and hopefully they could be very warm in the South East in particular.
"Warmer than average certainly, but nowhere near heatwave criteria.
"It will definitely be warmer than the week we've just had last week."
If the mercury creeps to 22C this weekend as forecasted, it will make it the hottest day of the year so far - exceeding the previously recorded 20.8C last month.
Ms Shuttleworth added: "We'll see temperatures generally come up through the week. From Thursday onwards, temperatures could reach 20, 21, quite possibly 22.
"Across southern and eastern areas we're more likely to see some sunshine and clearer skies in the afternoon."
Some drizzly rain is expected later in the week across the North West along with the cloud, but it is not likely to cause disruption.
This weekend's predicted temperatures will also exceed those of popular holiday destinations.
In Zante, temperatures will struggle to reach 20C and in Palermo, the mercury is predicted to go as high as 21C.
This weekend's sunny forecast is set to spark one of the busiest travel weekends since 2014.
Drivers are being warned to brace themselves for the busiest Easter bank holiday roads since records began.
Experts are predicting a weekend of travel chaos as millions of Brits plan trips, and have revealed the two optimal windows of time to leave home in order to give yourself the best chance not to get stuck on the roads.
The RAC said drivers are collectively planning an estimated 21.46million leisure journeys by car this weekend, the highest number for an Easter bank holiday since the RAC first started tracking motorists’ plans in 2014.
One option for drivers wanting to avoid the worst of the traffic is to wait until after 7:30pm to travel, with the highest numbers of cars on the roads predicted to be at either end of the long weekend.
“It’s very possible this weekend could turn out to be one of the busiest for leisure journeys for many years,” warned RAC traffic spokesperson Rod Dennis.
“After two years of relatively quiet Easter bank holidays on the roads, our research suggests a return to traffic levels that are much more typical of this time of year.”
