Parts of the UK are set to be hotter than Hawaii on Friday, with temperatures in London and East Anglia expected to reach 27C, according to the Met Office. This would make it the warmest day of the year so far, surpassing highs in Honolulu, where 26C is forecast.
The scorching heat means the UK could also be warmer than Sydney, Buenos Aires, and Tunis, where highs of between 24C and 22C are predicted. Friday's temperatures in the south-east will be about 10C above the average for this time of year, which is 15-17C.
Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said: “We’ve got some very warm, humid air coming up from the south. That means we will see some very warm weather, particularly in the east and the south-east, because there we’ll see the best of the sunshine.” However, cloud over the central spine of the UK, from Scotland through the Pennines to the Midlands, could bring heavy rain on Friday.
The bank holiday weekend is expected to bring changeable conditions. Saturday may have bright spells but also showers, especially in northern and western areas. Rain is forecast across the country on Sunday, with temperatures cooling towards the May average. By Monday, temperatures will be roughly where they should be for this time of year: 11-12C in the north and 15-16C in the south.
The brief hot spell follows an April that was drier and warmer than average for much of the UK, with all four nations recording a higher mean temperature than the long-term average, according to provisional Met Office figures.
