Brits face a mixture of sunshine and showers over the early May bank holiday weekend following another warm week, forecasters said today.
The Met Office expects more spring warmth over the coming days as temperatures climb above late‑April averages to 24C (75F) by the end of the week in the South.
This would make the UK warmer than European holiday hotspots such as Mallorca (23C), Rome (22C), Faro and Barcelona (both 21C) and Ibiza and Malta (both 19C).
But conditions will begin to turn unsettled from Friday as showers spread from the South and West, with heavy and thundery bursts of rain possible in places.
A changeable pattern will take hold by the start of the long weekend as showers are set to be interspersed with sunnier intervals between Saturday and Monday.
Today, people enjoyed the warm weather outdoors in London including at the Queen Elizabeth II Garden at Regent's Park, which opened to the public for the first time.
But showers were moving southwards across parts of Scotland and England, amid a warning of possible thunder in eastern Scotland and central and southern England. Temperatures will be high for the time of year with 23C (73F) in southern England.
Tomorrow will be noticeably fresher, with many places 5C cooler than today. Cloud and some patchy drizzle are also possible, before sunny spells develop widely. The mercury will be several degrees lower than today across much of England and Wales.
People enjoy the warm weather at Queen Elizabeth II Garden at Regent's Park in London today
People walk through Queen Elizabeth II Garden at Regent's Park in London this afternoon
People enjoy the warm weather this afternoon as they punt along the River Cam in Cambridge
From midweek, high pressure will bring largely dry and fine weather as Wednesday and Thursday both see plenty of sunshine, despite windier conditions in the South.
Later on Thursday into Friday, conditions become more unsettled as rain and showers are expected to spread from the South and West, with heavy bursts possible.
Where sunshine persists ahead of this, it will feel warm and humid, especially in southern and central England - before more changeable weather this weekend.
Met Office deputy chief forecaster Tom Crabtree said: 'By Friday, conditions are expected to become more unsettled, with rain and showers spreading in from the southwest, some of which could be heavy and possibly thundery.
'Ahead of this, it will feel warm and humid in parts of England on Friday, with temperatures potentially reaching 24C in central and southern areas.
'Into the bank holiday weekend, the weather looks more changeable, with showers at times - particularly in the North - but also some sunnier intervals.'
The long-range forecast for May 2 to 11 states: 'During this period, conditions will probably be fairly changeable, with low pressure systems in the vicinity of the UK.
'This means an increasing chance of showers or longer spells of rain, along with some strong winds at times. However, dry interludes with spells of warm sunshine are still likely, with a risk of a few short-lived early-morning fog patches. Temperatures are likely to be close to or slightly above normal, particularly in the South East.'
The UK's warmest day of 2026 so far was April 8 as temperatures hit 26.6C (79.9F) at Kew Gardens in London – the hottest day recorded in the first half of April since 1946.