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Britain to enjoy warmest day of the year so far Britain's south and east enjoys warmest day of the year so far
(about 5 hours later)
Britain will bask in the highest temperatures of the year so far on Sunday, according to forecasters. Much of Britain is enjoying a welcome respite from the wettest winter on record as meteorologists confirmed Sunday is the hottest day of the year so far.
Temperatures will reach 18C (64.4F) in parts of England, making it "exceptionally mild" for the time of year and warmer than parts of Greece and Turkey, the Met Office said. Temperatures have already reached 17C (62.6F) in the east of England and London, and could reach up to 19C (66.2F) later in the day, according to the Met Office.
And after the wettest winter on record in England and Wales, the rain is also set to stay away in the coming days because of a band of high pressure across Britain. East Anglia and the East Midlands are expected to bask in the best of the afternoon sunshine, said the forecaster.
Calum MacColl, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said: "Across much of England and Wales, it will be a really nice day with plenty of sunshine. Jenny Rourke, senior operational meteorologist at the Met Office said: "It's already a beautiful sunny day out there, but spare a thought for those in other parts of England who don't have it so good.
"In the area north of London and up towards Lincolnshire, we could see temperatures around 17C (62.6F) to 18C (64.4F), which would be the warmest day this year and exceptionally mild for the time of the year. "There's a good swath of northern England and western Wales where it is cloudy, and temperatures are around 12C (53.6F) to 14C (57.2F) today. Parts of north-west Scotland and Northern Ireland have had some patchy rain but it's not been very significant."
"There will be some heavy outbreaks around south Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England tomorrow, which will push south and give a cloudier feel. But there's lots of dry weather to be had for the rest of the week." But the unseasonal warmth is not set to last as a band of cloud travelling down from Scotland overnight will give way to a cooler start on Monday.
On average, temperatures in mid-March are only around 12C (53.6F) but a yearly high of 16.9C (62.4F) was recorded at Heathrow airport on Friday. The mild weather is expected to continue into next week but temperatures will drop off slightly to 14C (57.2F) on Monday, said the Met Office. "Next week will be much cooler but settled. For example, in Leeds today we expect around 17C (62.6F) but tomorrow that will fall to around 10C (50F)," added Rourke. "We won't be seeing 18C (64.4F) again for the rest of the week."
Other traditional European holiday destinations are experiencing unusually cold weather, said MacColl. "Areas such as inland Greece will be struggling to get into double figures today while coastal parts around the Black Sea will only reach temperatures that are in the late teens," he added. Before today, the warmest recorded temperature this year was 16.9C (62.4F) in London on Friday.
Those looking to enjoy the sunshine have been warned to stay away from one tourist hotspot in East Sussex. The cliff edge at Birling Gap has undergone a series of collapses after recent bad weather, and tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of further erosion have been told to exercise caution after two people had to be rescued when they were cut off by the incoming tide earlier in the week. Other traditional European holiday destinations are experiencing unusually cold weather, said Calum MacColl, a meteorologist at the Met Office. "Areas such as inland Greece will be struggling to get into double figures today while coastal parts around the Black Sea will only reach temperatures that are in the late teens," he added.
Those looking to enjoy the sunshine have been warned to stay away from one tourist hotspot in East Sussex. The cliff edge at Birling Gap has collapsed after recent bad weather, and tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of further erosion have been told to exercise caution. Two people had to be rescued when they were cut off by the incoming tide earlier in the week.
Some British supermarkets have put strawberries on their shelves early. A spokesman for Waitrose said: "While the wet weather has caused havoc for many, milder temperatures have resulted in an earlier harvest than usual, with English strawberries available a week earlier than 2013."Some British supermarkets have put strawberries on their shelves early. A spokesman for Waitrose said: "While the wet weather has caused havoc for many, milder temperatures have resulted in an earlier harvest than usual, with English strawberries available a week earlier than 2013."