Spring sunshine will return to parts of the UK in time for Mother’s Day and continue into next week – potentially bringing the hottest day of the year so far, forecasters have said.
Sky weather producer Kirsty McCabe said Mothering Sunday was likely to be a “mostly fine day with bright or sunny spells once early low cloud and drizzle clears”.
She predicted there would be “temperatures near or above average” for most places.
Afterwards, however, high pressure is set to dominate. There is a good chance the highest temperature of the year so far will be reached by the middle of next week, topping the high of 21.3C (70F) recorded on 20 March.
However, the far north and west of the British Isles are likely to be cloudier and windier with a risk of rain.
The Met Office has also forecast that warm conditions will return on Sunday after a brief, changeable period on Friday and Saturday, in what it called “typical spring fashion”.
Central and inland areas should have the warmest weather on Mother’s Day, with its forecasters also predicting “a short-lived spell of unsettled weather this weekend”.
But the Met Office added the country would “transition back towards a blocked weather pattern as high pressure builds on Sunday and dominates our weather through much of next week”.
Honor Criswick, a meteorologist from the agency, said the high pressure would “stick around as we head into next week, bringing some fine and settled conditions, perhaps even some warm sunshine”.
Partial solar eclipse in parts of UK
Ms Criswick said Sunday morning would be cloudy, with possible drizzle and mist, but that would give way to a dry day with “some sunny spells, particularly across central and inland areas of the UK”.
She predicted there would be “quite a settled start to the week next week, lots of sunny spells and also some quite warm temperatures”.
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Meanwhile, a partial solar eclipse will be visible in parts of the UK between 10am and noon on Saturday.
Those in the east of the country will have the best chance of seeing it.
The phenomenon occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth. However, the three planetary bodies will not be completely aligned, meaning only part of the sun will be obscured this weekend.
