The UK is seeing unusual warmth for this time of the year, with highs of up to 30C possible in the south Thursday. However, a cold front is set to bring cooler, wetter conditions to Scotland & NI soon.
The unusual spring warmth will be across much of the UK on Wednesday after a top temperature on Tuesday of 24.9C in Ceredigion, west Wales. There will be changes in the north by Thursday as the heat continues for England and Wales. As southern Britain reaches the high 20s Celsius, rural Scotland could see frost in places by Thursday night.
It has been like an early taste of summer with the sunshine, the warmth and dry weather. Spring is well underway with stunning blossom, more leaves on the trees and birds busily singing and building their nests.
High pressure over Europe is helping the flow of very warm air to reach the UK and there are clear skies with sunshine which lifts the daytime temperatures even more. However, out over the Atlantic is a swirl of cloud from a low pressure closer to Iceland. It is the cold front from this which will bring a change for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Today
There is some thin cloud over the Irish Sea but clear skies and unbroken sunshine for England and Wales. It will stay dry with very little wind today. Cardiff will be around 25C today and tomorrow and Southampton 23 or 24 for both days. Newcastle could reach 24C and Manchester 26 with similar for York on both days. For the Midlands, East Anglia and southeast England it will be very warm today around 24 to 26C. Even hotter tomorrow.
For Northern Ireland, it will be a very warm day with temperatures around 19 to 23C. For Scotland widely 17 to 22C so feeling very warm for the end of April with 21 to 24C in the Central Belt. Some spots in Grampian and around the Inverness area could see 22 to 24C today but it will be closer to 15C by Thursday in the far north.
Another beautiful evening and tonight it will be mild and calm. The fresher air will reach northwest Scotland by dawn.
By Thursday, there will be a feed of humid, very warm air. London and the Home Counties should see 27 to 29C and will feel muggy and hot. London might reach 30C. The Midlands and East Anglia will be around 26 to 28C. Convective Storm forecast
For Northern Ireland and Scotland, the air will feel very different. The cold front will bring showery rain, by early morning over County Down and southern Scotland with some heavier pulses on their way south. Cloudier skies with some damp weather will follow but eastern counties could still reach 15 to 17C which will feel okay in any brighter, even sunnier spells but it’s just not going to be the warm air of today.
Cumbria and Northumberland will notice a change by Thursday evening as will the north coast of Wales as the winds swing to the northwest. Much of England and Wales will continue with a glorious, warm evening.
Update 30/04 15:30 Ireland has seen a very warm April day with only the second time that 25C+ has been recorded according to Met Eireann. Also the warmest day of the year so far for Ireland. The April record is 25.8C at Co. Donegal (Glenties), on 26th April 1984.
Weds 29th, in Ireland a new provisional record-high April temperature of 25.9°C, observed at the Athenry (Co. Galway) station. This value will be quality controlled and verified to confirm the new record by Met Eireann. We will see what the 1st of May brings for England and Wales, possibly the earliest 30C+ on record.
Loading recent activity...
