Brits face a “chilly start” to their Wednesday as the mercury struggles to get into double figures, before an approaching heatwave arrives later this month.
The Met Office says cities across the country, including London, Manchester and Newcastle will start the day at 9C, with Glasgow and Belfast slightly lower at 8C. By the middle of the day it will increase to closer to 15C as the day increases.
They will pale into insignificance come June 16 when the mercury will launch more than 25C in many places thanks to a leftover plume spreading from Europe. Much of the country will sizzle in at least 20C conditions - but before that, today it will be “chilly”.
The Met Office forecast reads: “A chilly start features in Wednesday's. A bright but cool start for many Wednesday morning.
“Blustery showers will continue to push in across the north and west. Rain will clear the southeast during the evening, with dry and largely clear conditions moving in behind. Staying windy in the north with scattered showers, hail and mountain snow is possible in Scotland. Chilly especially in rural spots.
Queen honoured in London New Year's fireworks before turning into King Charles“Staying similar over the next few days with sunshine and blustery showers in the north. Drier across southern parts of the UK, with temperatures here slowing increasing towards the weekend.”
It comes as the Met Office revealed May 2024’s average mean temperature of 13.1C for the UK beat 2008’s previous record of 12.1C. The record was boosted by above-average temperatures in the northern half of the UK, with Scotland’s May mean temperature of 12.3C beating 2018’s previous record by 1.6C.
England and Northern Ireland also set a mean temperature record for the month of May, while Wales equalled its figure from 2008. A Met Office Spokesperson said: “While it may not have felt like it for many, with sunshine in relatively short supply, provisional figures show May was the warmest on record in our series back to 1884.
“This warmth was especially influenced by high overnight temperatures, with the average UK minimum temperature for May 1.2°C higher than the previous record. Rainfall was above average for the UK, while some areas in the south saw over a third more rain than average. In contrast, Northern Ireland and Scotland were slightly drier than average in the month.”