Spain’s Costa Brava
(Picture: Ben_Kerckx/Pixabay)London has been hotter than Spain’s Costa Brava on Tuesday, with the mercury hitting over 16C in the capital.
The temperature hit 16.2C in Northolt, the Met Office confirmed, after predictions there will be a heatwave arriving in the UK in April.
London’s average temperature at this time of year is 12C so the forecaster said we were “above average”.
“It’s been a fairly unusually warm day for the time of year,” said meteorologist Tom Morgan.
“We’ve seen a nice bright day so far with some high level cloud.”
Mr Morgan said the temperature was higher than in south eastern parts of Europe which are seeing below average temperatures for this type of year.
According to World Weather Online, London’s temperature has beaten Spain’s popular Costa Brava region which is experiencing highs of 14 degrees on Tuesday.
It is on par with Rome, at 16C but it is hotter than Athens which is 14C.
But Mr Morgan said it was “quite a different story tomorrow” with Wednesday seeing the chance of rain and cloud across London.
There will be some drizzly rain in the morning with potential for heavier rain in the afternoon and evening, forecasters predict.
Saharan dust has been blowing towards the UK, moving northwards across Iberia and France at the moment, with some chance rain will mix in with the Saharan dust.
“It’s not going to lead to any disruption but there could be some dust on people’s car windscreens and windows,” he said.
The rain will clear through by Thursday morning with sunnier spells expected on Friday and over the weekend in London.
Temperatures are expected to hit the mid-teens but there will be a bit of a chilly easterly breeze in parts of east London.
There could be highs of 17c in parts of West London over Friday and Saturday so the forecaster predicted, “a pretty warm and settled period of weather to come”.
For the rest of the UK, the Met Office said there would be “sunny spells for many, especially over England and Wales” where it will feel “rather warm”.
From Wednesday, there will in the northwest corner it will be “bright and fresh-feeling” with scattered heavy showers later.
“Elsewhere often cloudy, showery rain turning heavier across some eastern areas. A few brighter, warmer spells, perhaps focused in southwestern areas,” according to the Met Office’s five-day forecast.
From Thursday there will be heavy, blustery showers in the north and northwest.
It will be “dry with sunny spells elsewhere”.
“Most places fine and dry Friday and Saturday. Chilly mornings, but mild by day”.
Into next month, parts of the UK will see a heatwave in April with temperatures soaring to 2C, according to forecasters.
Forecaster Jim Dale, senior meteorologist at British Weather Services, said the UK can expect the hot weather to come in “fairly early” this year.
