Londoners basked in the sunshine on Wednesday with temperatures above 26C - making the capital hotter than Ibiza and Barcelona.
A high temperature of 26.5C was recorded in Kew Gardens as forecasters suggest the UK could be set for the warmest start to April in six years.
It marks London’s warmest day of the year so far, above temperatures of 21C on Tuesday as the UK experienced its warmest April 7 on record, according to the Met Office.
Sunshine and warm weather have been seen across the UK, with 24.8C recorded in Mona, on the island of Anglesey in Wales on Tuesday setting the previous high in 2026.
Many parts of the UK have been hotter than Barcelona, Ibiza and Athens today, which are all seeing high temperatures in the early 20s.
Met Office chief forecaster Paul Gundersen said: “We’re seeing a brief but notable spell of very warm weather for early April, with temperatures more typically associated with late spring or early summer. This could be the warmest spell at this point in April since 2020.”
A warning for “very high” pollen has also been in place on Wednesday, and the rest of this week. Hay fever sufferers may experience itchy red eyes, blocked noses and sneezing.
The temperature in London has been around 10C above the average for early April of around 12C to 15C, and 25C was not reached in the capital last year until the last day of the month.
The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK in April was 29.4C, measured in London in 1949.
Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: “The wind is coming in from a southerly direction, and with not many clouds around, it should be well above the early April average.
“The last time we saw similar temperatures this time of year was in 2020, when we reached 26C in Cornwall.”
Thursday also looks set to bring sunshine to much of southern England, with highs of 21C expected in London, but temperatures further north will return to the norm for this time of year, into the early and mid teens.
Warm air dragged in from continental Europe is behind the temperature spike, but cooler air moving in from the northwest and a number of showers will bring it back down.
In its long-range weather forecast, the Met Office report that the first part of the period from April 11 to April 20 will remain changeable, with “showers or occasional longer spells of rain affecting many areas”. Drier interludes are possible, but temperature will most likely be close to normal.
The warmer weather comes after Storm Dave brought major disruption over the Easter weekend, with high winds of up to 70mph which caused travel chaos and left many homes without power.
