The sunshine is set to continue across Wales this weekend with some places hotter than Spain, before a dip in temperature is forecast at the start of next week. An area of high pressure has brought dry and settled weather to most parts of Wales this week with highs of 20°C in places.
The good news is that it is that while it might be the shortest weekend of the year because the clocks go forward on Sunday, it is also going to be one of the sunniest. The Met Office forecast for Saturday in Wales says: "Patchy fog will lift by mid-morning leaving a dry day with sunny skies. A little fair weather cloud may develop in the afternoon, but there'll still be plenty of sunshine. Maximum temperature 18°C."
The forecast for Barcelona on Saturday is 13°C. Met Office forecasters for Wales said: "Another fine, dry day on Sunday with sunny spells." They do say that it will be "cooler and cloudier" on Monday, with a few sharp showers and it will be cloudy on Tuesday with an ongoing chance of showers.
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Met Office forecaster Alex Deakin says: "It may well be the shortest weekend of the year, but it will be one of the sunniest. It's going to be blue skies almost across the board on both Saturday and Sunday thanks to a chunky area of high pressure that's just wobbling around across the UK close to the north of Scotland."
Adding: "It's a fine spring day on Saturday with plenty of sunshine, a bit of a breeze blowing across southern England but not as windy as last weekend. Temperatures will respond to the sunshine getting up into the mid or even high teens in places, but it will be a little cooler on some coasts, where we start to see the breeze picking up a little bit."
He said that most places on Sunday will see another "fine day with plenty of sunshine" and temperatures again widely 15 to 18°C, maybe 19 or 20°C in one or two locations.
On Friday, Cardiff council encouraged people to make the most of the city's parks, but did have one request.
They said on Twitter: "It’s set to be hotter than Barcelona in Cardiff this weekend! Time to shake out the picnic blankets and catch some rays! Help keep our beautiful parks places everyone can enjoy and use the bins provided or take your waste home with you if the bins are full."
Make the most of the good weather this weekend as a change is on the way. The long-range Met Office UK forecast for Tuesday, March 29, to Thursday, April 7 says: " A trend to showery and colder conditions is expected to take place from the north next week. Tuesday probably cloudier than of late with a chance of showers, these potentially wintry in the far northeast.
"A good deal of dry weather persisting in the south and west. From midweek a colder spell is likely to spread south from the north. Showers possible in all areas, with these most frequent in the north and east. Wintry showers remain possible, particularly in the north.
"Later next week and beyond, unsettled conditions are likely with more frequent showers or longer spells of rain for many areas. After a spell of below average temperatures next week, temperatures are likely to return to near average later in the period.
