Britain will enjoy the hottest day of the year today with 18C (64F) highs, making it warmer than European holiday hotspots Santorini, Mykonos and Crete.
But the British should enjoy the warmth while it lasts, as the bank holiday will end tomorrow in a washout of wind and rain.
Forecasters expect glorious sunshine as a result of a high-pressure system moving across the country that has “timed itself nicely” for Easter Sunday.
With 18°C, the UK would beat the highest temperature recorded so far this year: 17.8°C on March 30 in the Suffolk village of Santon Downham.
Most of the country will enjoy the good weather, except for Northern Ireland where cloudy skies are expected.
Britain will enjoy its hottest day of the year today with 18C (64F) highs, making it warmer than European holiday hotspots Santorini, Mykonos and Crete (pub drinkers sitting in the spring sun pictured on Sunday)
But the British should enjoy the warmth while it lasts as the bank holiday will end tomorrow in a washout with wind and rain (people soaking up the sun on Wimbledon Common sat in sun loungers)
Forecasters are expecting glorious sunshine due to a high-pressure system sweeping across the country that is ‘nicely timed’ for Easter Sunday (photo of riders riding in the spring sunshine at Wimbledon Village on Sunday)
Sunday night will be a mostly dry evening, but the leaching will begin slowly with bursts of rain in Northern Ireland spreading to the western parts of Britain.
Tonight will be mostly cloudy and rain will move east, but will become increasingly lighter and patchy by morning, with a breezy to moderate to strong southerly wind.
Easter Monday will see early bursts of rain that will soon dissipate to the east. During the day it is then clear with occasional sunshine.
But tomorrow’s sunshine will be short lived as variable amounts of patchy cloud cover and scattered showers moving east will be locally heavy and thunderstorms.
It will be a cool day with a moderate southwest wind.
After the Easter weekend, there are some sunny spells and showers on Tuesday, with clouds from the south bringing rain over the southwest during the afternoon and evening.
Wednesday is expected to be clear with spells of sunshine, and bursts of rain should dissipate to reveal scattered showers. Some of these will be locally heavy.
According to travel organization ABTA, an estimated two million British holidaymakers will go abroad this weekend.
Holidaymakers returning from France in buses yesterday had to wait up to three hours. Thousands of ferry passengers trapped in the chaos at Dover last weekend – with delays of 12 hours – were dealt a double whammy on their return, with raids at border control.
With 18°C, the UK would beat the highest temperature on record so far this year: 17.8°C on March 30 in the Suffolk village of Santon Downham (pictured, pub drinkers in Wimbledon Common on Sunday)
Most of the country will enjoy the good weather, except for Northern Ireland where cloudy skies are expected (people pictured enjoying the Easter Sunday sunshine)
Pub drinkers sit in deckchairs in the spring sun on Wimbledon Common, southwest London. Weather forecasters predict Easter Sunday to be the hottest day of the year
Sunday night will be a mostly dry evening but the leaching will begin slowly with bursts of rain in Northern Ireland spreading to the western parts of Britain (Wolverhampton Wanderers fans enjoying the warm weather outside Molineux Stadium on Saturday afternoon)
Tonight will be mostly cloudy and rain will move east, but by morning it will become increasingly lighter and patchy, with a breezy to moderate to brisk southerly wind (pictured, paddleboarders at Bournemouth Beach on Saturday)
Tonight will be mostly cloudy and rain will move east, but by morning it will become increasingly lighter and patchy, with a breezy to moderate to brisk southerly wind (pictured, people playing beach volleyball at Bournemouth Beach on Saturday)
Easter Monday will see early bursts of rain that will soon dissipate to the east. It will then be clear during the day with periods of sunshine (photo of people taking photos in St James’s Park in central London on Good Friday)
It’s because an estimated two million British holidaymakers head abroad this weekend, according to travel company ABTA (pictured, people enjoying the warm weather at Bournemouth Beach on Saturday)
However, traffic from Dover was ‘free flowing’ yesterday and should be the same today.
The sun is not expected to last long, tomorrow it will rain over the country.
Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said: ‘Easter Sunday will be quite sunny for the most part and temperatures could reach around 18C.
The only place we’re likely to see a change is Northern Ireland, where it will become increasingly breezy, cloudier and eventually more humid.
“For much of the UK it will be reasonable.” But he added: “It’s not going to be too long. Monday is sure to be that day of change as low pressure begins to dominate the scene. With stormy showers, it’s the day to do whatever you like indoors.’
