Parts of the UK are set to be hotter than Madrid this weekend as the mercury once again rises above 20C.
While this weekend won’t quite match the scorching 25.4C recorded in Kew Garden and Heathrow last Friday, the south of England can enjoy a balmy Saturday, with bright and dry spells after a grey and cloudy week.
Many have experienced a chilly week, with temperatures plummeting as low as -6.1C in the Scottish Highlands, as Altnaharra recorded the coldest May night in five years. But the Met Office has said warmer air will push into the south on Thursday and Friday, bringing the promise of a warm weekend for some.
Temperatures are set to peak at 21C in London with surrounding areas at 20C. Parts of the south west and Wales will see warm temperatures in the late teens on Saturday afternoon. It’ll certainly be warmer than the often sunny Spanish capital, Madrid, where temperatures are predicted to peak at 18C on Saturday before dropping to 16C.
Temperatures will be lower in north however, with Kendal seeing 12C and Newcastle upon Tyne experiencing 9C at its warmest. Scotland will similarly experience these chillier temperatures, getting colder into the evening.
Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said: “Conditions will begin to diverge later in the week, with warmer air pushing into the south on Thursday and Friday, bringing temperatures close to 20C, while northern areas remain much cooler.”
“This temperature contrast is likely to persist into Saturday, with the south potentially reaching the low 20s, but further north staying in the low teens at best.
“By Sunday, many areas should see some drier and sunnier weather, though temperatures will dip again and temperatures next week are likely to remain on the cool or below-average side for early May.”
Showers and longer spells of rain are expected to sweep across the north of England and parts of Scotland, going further south overnight into Sunday. Guildford will get drenched with 4-8mm of rain per hour overnight before parts of Essex can expect steady drizzle on Sunday morning of 2-4mm per hour.
It comes a month after the UK marked one of its warmest April days on record - the hottest day of the year so far - with 26.6C recorded at Kew Gardens on 8 April. The UK saw its seventh warmest April on record and its fourth sunniest.
Provisionally comparing this spring to last year’s record-breaking spring - the warmest and sunniest on record, the forecaster said last month that march and April had already recorded more rainfall than the whole of spring 2025. Last spring was the sixth driest since records began.
Met Office forecast up until this weekend
Today:
Many areas dry, with some sunny spells. There will be scattered showers, these most frequent in the northwest. Still rather cool in the north, but temperatures closer to average in the south so feeling a little warmer than Wednesday.
Tonight:
A band of rain will move southeastwards across Scotland and Northern Ireland. Drier elsewhere, with clear spells and a scattering of showers. Patchy fog and frost under the clearest skies.
Friday:
Bands of rain moving southeastwards across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England. Sunny spells elsewhere, but an increasing risk of showers developing. Warm in the south, chilly in the north.
Outlook for Saturday to Monday:
Staying changeable, with showers and longer spells of rain at times. However, there will be some drier and brighter weather too. Cool in the north, warm in the south.
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