UK temperatures to soar ahead of first heatwave with five parts of England hottest

Met Office maps show weekend temperatures are set to surge across the UK - as a forecaster pinpoints the arrival of the first heatwave of the year. Maximum possible temperature readings on the maps, from WX Charts, using Met Desk data, show a rise from Saturday.

Afternoon temperatures could peak at 17C along the south coast and in Kent and on Sunday the mercury hits 18C in East Anglia as well as Kent. 17C is possible in capital city London, as well as Cambridgeshire and parts of Lincolnshire, too.

James Madden, from Exacta Weather, said: "There are changes now in recognition of warmer temperatures, but how warm or hot will it get and when? This weekend will see winds turning warmer and from a more southerly direction, and with this will come a gradual rise in temperatures from the current cool pattern to above-average conditions for many.

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"However, this may not be entirely straightforward to begin with, and despite this gradual warming up of conditions, it could still be rather unsettled with further moderate to heavy showers to begin with, or they could dissipate into a much lesser feature between now and then.

He went on: "Beyond the late April period and into early May, we will then see any rain or unsettled conditions becoming less of a feature as temperatures start to rise significantly across our shores over at least a several-day period.

"This could easily see maximum temperatures reaching into the mid- to high-20Cs quite widely in the best of the developing sunshine within this period." The BBC outlook from Friday onwards adds: "Friday will see a day of sunshine and showers, these scattered and most likely in the north and east. The chance of hill snow in the north remains.

"On Saturday, a few showers in the north, but sunny spells elsewhere. Wet later in the south. Sunday will bring rain and brisk winds to parts of England and Wales, whilst Scotland and Northern Ireland have sunny spells and showers."