UK to see 27C and hotter than Hawaii before May Bank Holiday

According to the Met Office, temperatures in London and East Anglia could climb to around 27C at the end of the working week, making Friday the hottest day of the year so far.

It will be hotter than Honolulu, where highs of about 26C are expected.

However, thick cloud along the central spine of the UK – from parts of Scotland down through the Pennines and into the Midlands – could bring some heavy rain and thunder on Friday, meaning not everyone will see warm, sunny conditions.

“We’ve got some very warm, humid air coming up from the south,” Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge told the Press Association.

“That means we will see some very warm weather, particularly in the east and the South East, because there we’ll see the best of the sunshine.

“Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean everybody’s going to get a warm, dry, beautiful day.”

“Certainly the odd rumble of thunder is possible there, particularly over the Midlands,” Mr Partridge said.

Friday’s highs in London and the South East will be around 10C above average for the time of year, which is 15 to 17C, the Met Office said.

Meanwhile, Cardiff could be warmer than Athens, where forecasters are predicting a high of 14C on Friday, which is 5C cooler than the estimated top temperatures in the Welsh capital.

The warm weather still falls short of the record high in April of 29.4C, which was recorded in Camden Square, central London, in 1949, Met Office records show.

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What will the weather be like over the weekend?

Sadly, the weekend will be “a different story” though, with changeable conditions forecast across the UK.

“The weekend is a bit of a different story, really,” said Mr Partridge.

“There will be some bright spells in there as well on Saturday, but there will also be showers, particularly across northern and western parts of the UK.”

Rain is forecast across the country on Sunday and temperatures will continue to cool towards averages for April.

What are you doing this weekend? Let us know in the comments