UK weekend weather LIVE – Brits to bask in temperatures HOTTER than Madrid as wintry showers forecast for next week

Tonight’s weather

Daytime showers will ease across most areas this evening to reveal late spells of sunshine.

Cloud will tend to linger across southern and central England bringing a chance of showers although this will slowly clear south-westwards overnight.

Elsewhere will be dry with lengthy clear spells.

Bookies cut odds this spring ending as the hottest on record

Leading bookmaker Coral has cut the odds to 1-2 (from 5-4) on this spring ending as the hottest on record in the UK.

The firm go 5-4 for next month to be a record hot May, while it is 4-6 for 2022 to be the hottest year the UK has ever had.

“It has been a glorious start to spring and our betting suggests things could get better, as we make it odds-on to end as the hottest spring on record in the UK,” said Coral’s John Hill.

“Hopefully the sun remains shining as we head into the new month. The early odds point to soaring temperatures in May,” added Hill.

• Hottest spring on record in the UK = 1-2
• 2022 to be hottest year on record in the UK = 4-6
• Hottest May on record in the UK = 5-4

Gardeners, you’ve been warned…

Forecaster Tom Morgan warned that the cold weather isn’t “great news for gardeners”.

He told MailOnline: “They may have spent the weekend planting beneath the sun but we could see patchy frosts by Wednesday which could undo all of their hard work.

“Some rural spots could drop to -3C through the first part of the week.

“It will feel more spring-like during the day, despite the occasional showers, but not in the mornings or overnight.”

It’s going to get colder from Monday

The warm spells will subside by Monday, when it’s expected to get colder.

And the balmy 18C conditions won’t last – as the Met Office warns of a sub-zero plunge at the start of the next week.

London is expected to face temperatures as low as 4C, while parts of the north, Scotland and areas in Belfast could drop to below 0C.

WXCharts are even predicting snow before the end of April, hitting the north of Scotland on Friday April 29 and the south of England and Wales from Sunday May 1.

The dip follows from the hottest day of the year so far, recorded over the bank holiday when temperatures rose over 23C in London.

Britain to be hotter than MADRID this weekend 

BRITAIN is set to be hotter than MADRID this weekend with balmy temperatures reaching into the late-teens.

But despite the warm Spring weather, Brits will face a cold snap and snowfall in the weeks ahead – as the weather is set to take a turn on Monday.

Today, London will be hotter than the Spanish capital as the mercury reaches 17C- with beaches along the coast and parks set to be packed out.

And Sunday will see “sunny spells and scattered showers” in the east and south.

Afternoon, Milica Cosic taking over the blog. I’ll be bringing you the latest updates until 10pm tonight.

Could be a warm one for those in Edinburgh

Another fine, dry day with prolonged periods of sunshine for the vast majority.

As we move into the afternoon temperatures set to rise, potentially reaching the high teens in Dumfries and Galloway.

Northeast winds restricting eastern coastal temperatures, where some patchy mist and fog may appear with maximum temperatures of 19 °C.

London will be dry overnight

Forecasters have predicted that it will be dry with patches of cloud and some sunshine through the early evening.

Remaining dry overnight with clear spells.

Staying breezy in coastal parts with minimum temperatures of 6 °C.

Londoners could get 19C scorcher today

Mostly cloudy at first, though some glimpses of sunshine are likely in places.

Increasingly bright by the afternoon with sunny spells remaining dry throughout and becoming quite warm inland.

But it will be rather cool towards the coast in the brisk northeasterly breeze with maximum temperatures of 19 °C.

Britain to be hotter than MADRID this weekend

Britain is set to be hotter than MADRID this weekend with balmy temperatures reaching into the late-teens.

But despite the warm Spring weather, Brits will face a cold snap and snowfall in the weeks ahead – as the weather is set to take a turn on Monday.

On Saturday, London will be hotter than the Spanish capital as the mercury reaches 17C- with beaches along the coast and parks set to be packed out.

On Friday, temperatures will be “fairly warm,” according to the Met Office.

And Saturday and Sunday will see “sunny spells and scattered showers” in the east and south.

The warm spells will subside by Monday, when it’s expected to get colder.

Earthworms invade home in Thailand after mad rain

RESIDENTS in a village in Thailand saw their homes completely covered in earthworms as heavy thunderstorms moved through the region.

A video shot in Tak, lower northern Thailand, shows residents waking up to a scene straight out of a horror movie as roughly 6-inch-long earthworms crawled around the province.

AccuWeather Meteorologist Renee Duff said that in a 24-hour period prior to when the video was shot, Tak picked up “3.13 inches (79.6 mm) of rainfall as heavy thunderstorms moved through the region.” 

Forecast for tomorrow (Saturday)

There will be large areas of cloud cover around on Saturday bringing a chance of showers or spells of light rain during the morning.

Cloud cover will tend to break during the afternoon to reveal spells of spring sunshine although cloud will linger across western areas bringing a threat of showers.

Snow on the cards?!

Advanced weather modelling maps show that the UK could be in for some shock flurries of snow at the start of next month.

The first band of snow will sweep in across the north of Scotland late on Friday April 29, before moving down the north-east coast of England on Saturday, April 30.

May then begins with widespread snow across the United Kingdom, with flakes falling in the south of England and Wales on Sunday and Monday, May 1-2.

Snow will hit Scotland in the early hours of May 1, starting in Inverness, Aberdeen and Edinburgh before slowly moving southward throughout the day.

Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham could follow with millions of Brits in northern and central England set to see some of the white stuff.

Unfortunately, the potential dumping is too far away for the forecaster to predict exactly how many inches we can expect to settle on the ground.

Next week will be a chilly one

British Weather Services meteorologist Jim Dale agreed that next week will be a chilly one, and claimed that some Brits may even be in for a late smattering of the white stuff.

He said: “It is going to feel cooler and there will be the risk of frosts overnight.

“Scotland may see wintry showers over high ground. It is going to feel like you need to put a jumper back on.”

Advanced weather modelling maps show that the UK could be in for some shock flurries of snow at the start of next month.

Warning to gardeners

The cold weather also prompted him to issue a warning to green-fingered Brits, adding: “It’s not great news for gardeners.

“They may have spent the weekend planting beneath the sun but we could see patchy frosts by Wednesday which could undo all of their hard work.

“Some rural spots could drop to -3C through the first part of the week.”

Record £10bn made after Easter tourism for shops & pubs

It was the biggest Easter staycation rush since VisitBritain records began 15 years ago in 2007. This comes after the heatwave we’ve had this weekend – with highs of 23C in some places around the country.

Up to 11 million Brits went on overnight stays and up to 29m on daytrips over the weekend, spending up to £4bn on accommodation, attractions and transport, spending trends show.

VisitBritain said: “The number of Brits who definitely planned overnight UK holidays for Easter is on a par with the highest figures since our survey began.”

VisitBritain deputy chief executive Patricia Yates said: “Easter has provided businesses with much-needed cash-flow.”

Five deadly mistakes you’re making every spring

SPRING has sprung and with it comes gorgeous rays of sunshine.

That usually means more time outdoors and extra sun exposure which can be harmful to your skin.

Dr Ross Perry of skin clinics chain Cosmedics said the problem with heat waves in the spring, is that most people don’t prepare their skin like they do in the summer.

He told The Sun: “The sun in April is as strong as it is in August, so you must treat it as such. 

“People can often be fooled by the cooler breeze but the UV rays are just as strong and just as likely to cause sunburn and sun damage.”

The sun’s rays are more often than not the direct cause of skin cancer, which generally fall under non-melanoma and melanoma. 

Here, Dr Ross warns of the mistakes you could be making when enjoying spring heatwaves:

1.  Not wearing suncream
2. Failing to protect burnt skin
3. Not drinking enough water
4. Not taking moles seriously 
5. Seeking vitamin D

Read more here.

Temperatures could drop to -3C in some rural areas next week

A meteorologist has warned parts of Britain could face sub-zero conditions next week – just days after a scorching Easter weekend.

Met Office forecaster Tom Morgan told the Express that “some rural spots” could even see lows of -3C in overnight frosts during the first part of the week.

The cold weather also prompted him to issue a warning to green-fingered Brits, adding: “It’s not great news for gardeners.

“They may have spent the weekend planting beneath the sun but we could see patchy frosts by Wednesday which could undo all of their hard work.

“Some rural spots could drop to -3C through the first part of the week.”

What is the definition for a UK heatwave?

A UK heatwave gets its classification when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold. The threshold varies by UK county. 

The Met Office heatwave threshold has been updated ahead of summer 2022.

The initial heatwave thresholds were calculated based on the 1981-2010 climatology of daily maximum temperature at the mid-point of the meteorological summer (15 July).

The revised thresholds will use the 1991-2020 averaging period introduced in January 2022. The geographical differences reflect the differences in climate across the UK.

The central map below, shows the initial heatwave thresholds for the UK, with the right hand map showing the updated thresholds for 2022. As a demonstration of our changing climate, we have also included the left hand map that shows what the thresholds would have been using the 1961-1990 climatology.

Bookies say summer 2022 could be the hottest ever

This year could see the hottest summer on record, according to the latest bookmaker odds.

Ladbrokes now make it just a 2/1 shot for summer 2022 to go down as the hottest EVER.

Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: “It’s looking increasingly likely that this year will play host to a record-breaking hot summer, with Brits soon set to bask in scorching temperatures.”