Temperatures to rise to mid-20s ahead of bank holiday weekend

Maximum temperatures could rise to 26C on Friday.

Temperatures are set to rise to the mid-20s next week ahead of the late May bank holiday weekend, the Met Office said.

Sunshine and showers are expected for the first half of the week, before temperatures start to rise and it will become drier and brighter by Thursday and Friday, the forecaster said.

Maximum temperatures could rise to 26C on Friday.

Craig Snell, forecaster at the Met Office, said: “The first half of this week is still going to be changeable, if not unsettled, across parts of the UK.

“Temperatures at the start of the week still a little subdued for the time of the year, as we head towards the weekend we are expecting to see a change.”

Monday will be a day of sunshine and showers, some could be heavy with the occasional rumble of thunder, before a band of rain moves across most of the UK later in the day, Mr Snell said.

Blustery conditions are expected into Tuesday, with wind and rain, sometimes heavy, along with thunder.

Temperatures will begin to climb nearer to what is expected for the end of May, the forecaster said.

On Wednesday, there will be a mixture of sunshine and showers, but temperatures in the south of England will climb towards 20C.

On Thursday and Friday, it will be increasingly drier and brighter, especially for England and Wales, and maximum temperatures of 26C could be seen on Friday in the south east, Mr Snell added.

Mr Snell said after Friday it was a bit too early to say but the general trend is that it will continue.

“The best of the sunshine across the bank holiday weekend will probably be across England and Wales,” he said.

“Temperatures still above normal, potentially very warm again, but it’s a bit too far in the future to get maximums.

“Indications are at the moment that the bank holiday looks a lot better than what we’ve had over the last week or so.”