Rain and cooler weather are set to return on Thursday after the UK enjoyed the hottest day recorded in the first half of April since 1946.
Wednesday was the warmest day of the year so far, and marked the hottest day recorded in the first half of April for 80 years, the Met Office said.
Temperatures reached a high of 26.6C in Kew Gardens, south-west London, meaning the capital was hotter than popular holiday destinations such as Ibiza, Rome and Marrakech.
Sunshine in southeast England turning hazy through Thursday morning with cloudier skies elsewhere and showery rain, locally heavy in the north 🌧️
— Met Office (@metoffice) April 8, 2026
Skies brightening with sunny spells and heavy showers in western Scotland and Northern Ireland 🌦️🌈
Turning blustery and colder 📉 pic.twitter.com/sRWqagLRCH
But by late Wednesday, a band of rain started to move across Northern Ireland and Scotland, and is set to continue to move south eastwards across the UK throughout Thursday.
It will be followed by cooler and showery weather, the forecaster said.
On Thursday, temperatures are expected to vary between 5C and 23C across the south and east of England, between 5C and 17C in Wales and the Midlands, and between 4C and 17C across the north of England.
In an update on X on Wednesday evening, the Met Office said: “Sunshine in southeast England turning hazy through Thursday morning with cloudier skies elsewhere and showery rain, locally heavy in the north.
“Skies brightening with sunny spells and heavy showers in western Scotland and Northern Ireland.
“Turning blustery and colder.”
The weather is set to remain unsettled throughout Friday and the weekend with further bands of rain and showers across the country.
Meanwhile, temperatures are expected to be near or occasionally a little below average, the Met Office said.
Pollen levels are set to remain “very high” or “high” across England and Wales on Thursday and Friday, but ease during the weekend with “moderate” levels in the north of England and in Wales.
The Environment Agency had issued seven flood alerts for areas in the south west and south east of England as of Wednesday evening, but said the flood risk across England remains “very low” for the coming days.
