Met Office announces drastic weather shift this week in 'Jekyll and Hyde' April

The UK has been warned over a dramatic weather shift next week as a 'Jekyll and Hyde' April continues. People in the UK have been hit by a 72-hour mini-heatwave in recent days with temperatures hitting 22C at times in London across Friday, April 12, Saturday April 13 and Sunday, April 14.

Jim Dale, whose book Surviving Extreme Weather: The Complete Climate Change Preparedness Manual is out now, said: "The rest of April will be something of a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ period. Stepping out of the incessant record-breaking rain but it’ll be never quite clear in the direction of travel.

"Therefore keep the rain mac and brolly, scarf and gloves and sunscreen and flip-flops all to hand." Mr Dale spoke out after maps and charts from WX Charts show the country burning orange as temperatures continue to soar with the country sizzling.

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In the short-term, the Met Office has warned the good weather is unlikely to last and says of Monday to Wednesday: "Blustery with widespread and occasionally heavy showers Monday, wintry over the high ground. Sunny spells and the odd shower Tuesday and Wednesday. Temperatures around average with winds easing."

Looking ahead from April 18 to April 27, the Met Office said: "Winds from the north or northwest are expected to affect the UK at the start of this period. Some showers or longer spells of rain are likely at times, these heaviest across the north and northwest, though systems still likely reaching the south east on Thursday.

"Temperatures are expected to mostly be below normal edging toward average or just above into the new week. Through the weekend and into the new week a build of pressure will probably occur, meaning more in the way of dry weather across the UK as a whole.

"Some rain of light showers will still be possible at times, if these develop they will be more likely to affect the northwest." In its own update, the BBC says: "Forecast confidence for early May continues to decline as increasingly uncertain weather patterns develop. The global models are predicting a continuing pattern with high pressure staying north of the UK and low pressure over southern/central Europe which may extend towards southern England later.

"Temperatures are likely to be around or slightly above average, with calmer and drier conditions more likely to the north, while the south could trend slightly wetter and windier."