Temperatures set to be higher than Greece and Spain as spring sunshine continues

Parts of the UK could be hotter than cities in Greece and Spain this week, as the country continues to bathe in spring sunshine.

Dry, sunny conditions could see temperatures rise as high as 21C (70C) on Thursday in the south of England, while Athens is set to peak at 17C (63F), the Met Office has said.

On the same day, South Wales and Somerset could reach 20C (68F) and may be hotter than Barcelona, where 16C (61F) is the expected high.

Northern Ireland and northwest Scotland had some rain and cloud on Monday morning, but the weather is generally expected to remain dry and sunny across the country throughout the rest of the week and into the weekend.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said many in the UK had “a fine dry and sunny day” with temperatures that were “well above average for the time of year and that theme is set to continue for much of the week.

Predicting a “settled period” for the UK’s weather, he said it will “possibly get as high as 21C on Thursday”.

Mr Dixon said high pressure is set to be near or over the UK in the coming week and into the weekend, leading to warm and dry conditions.

“Through the middle of the week it will be a touch breezier in the South West, but it will still feel much warmer than average.”

Although temperatures are likely to gradually drop on Saturday, they will still hover around the mid-teens and are likely to be higher than the average maximum temperature of 12C (54F) for the UK in April, forecasters said.

April’s record high was a summery 29.4C (84F), recorded in Camden Square, London, in 1949, Met Office records show.

Many headed for the beach to make the most of this year’s unseasonal sunshine.

Katy Alston, who has been selling ice cream in Bognor Regis for more than 20 years, said business was booming at the weekend.

Ms Alston, 57, said the weather has been “absolutely wonderful. Everything has been so tough and this weekend it’s like we have seen light again”.

She said the mild weather was “perfect timing” with Mother’s Day on Sunday and added she is “really excited and feeling really positive (about the forecast)”.

The dry spell should last into the weekend and early next week, though there is less certainty when forecasting much further into April, the Met Office said.

On Friday, the office said this week might see the highest temperature of the year so far.