UK weather: hottest day of the year with 24°C forecast

Strong south-easterly winds on Tuesday and Wednesday will draw more warm air from the European continent.

Temperatures in early April will be about 6 to 10C above average.

Temperatures will rise to between 20°C and 20°C across most parts on Tuesday.

Temperatures are expected to reach 22°C in the southern Midlands and west coast of Wales, making it the hottest day of the year so far.

The previous highest temperature this year was 20.9°C, recorded on March 31 in Pershore, Worcestershire.

Tuesday will be a mostly sunny day, especially in England and Wales, but there will be cloud cover and some rain in Northern Ireland and western Scotland.

Temperatures will rise further to 23°C by Wednesday, perhaps even 24°C in south-east England.

With the sunshine continuing, temperatures will still be in the low twenties across England and Wales, so it will feel like a typical summer’s day for most of us.

However, conditions over western Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Irish Sea coasts will become slightly cooler with more cloud cover and rain in the afternoon.