Londoners are basking in spring sunshine as the capital records its hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures nudging past 20C.
Crowds of people could be seen outside pubs in central London on Wednesday, soaking up the sun on their lunch break, while others ditched their desks to eat their sandwiches in the park.
A peak of 20.1C was logged in Northolt, west London by mid-afternoon, matching highs seen in parts of Wales.
The previous 2026 high of 19.2C was also set in Northolt earlier this month.
Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said the higher temperatures are because of warm air being dragged up from further south in Europe.
But temperatures are predicted to have reached their "peak for a while", with no record-breaking heat expected in the coming weeks.
Mr Madge said: "We get this a lot at this time of year, we sometimes joke the warmest day of the year klaxon is going off every day.
"I think this will be the peak for a while today, we are not expecting any further records in the next week or so."
He added: "The values that have been reached today will probably be a high watermark for some little time to come."
Other areas with high temperatures included Trawsgoed in Wales, which recorded 19.5C.
With temperatures rising in the sunshine this week, we will see a large swing between daytime and nighttime temperatures tonight, known at a diurnal temperature range 🌡️https://t.co/SQDVKCVVk1 pic.twitter.com/XOXGgK106r
— Met Office (@metoffice) March 18, 2026
Forecasters expect temperatures to continue to rise across the UK throughout Wednesday afternoon.
In London, temperatures will remain high this week, resting at 15C to 17C from Wednesday to Sunday.
Tonight, the capital will see some isolated mist and fog patches forming through the early hours before making way for another sunny day.
While much of the UK can expect plenty of sunshine this week, changes may develop into early next week as the jet stream begins to shift, forecasters say.
For now, though, the focus remains on the warm spells, balanced by cloudier intervals across the northwest and northeast.
