ENJOY IT WHILE IT LASTS
Britain basks in 24C scorcher as temperatures just scrape below March record – but SNOW is coming on Easter Monday
BRITS basked in 24C sunshine today as temperatures just scraped below the March record.
But the barbecue weather won't last - as snow is predicted to fall over Easter weekend.
☀️ Read our UK weather live blog for the very latest news and forecasts...
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The mini-heatwave won’t last long, as temperatures are predicted to take a nose dive on Thursday.
Temperatures in London are expected to drop to 15C and Good Friday is on course to be even chillier still at just 12C, as a cool front moves in from the north.
Rain is likely on Easter Sunday and there could even be snow on Easter Monday, says The Weather Outlook.
Tuesday saw the UK record its second warmest March day on record and the hottest temperature for the month in 53 years, the Met Office said.
The mercury peaked at 24.5C at Kew Gardens in west London on March 30, with St James's Park in the centre of the capital also hitting highs of 24.3C.
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The figure is only slightly below the UK's hottest ever March temperature of 25.6C, recorded in 1968 at Mepal in Cambridgeshire.
Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill said it was a "possibility" that the record temperature of 25.6C could be broken today.
The mercury spiked at 23.9C in Weybourne, north Norfolk, this afternoon - but temperatures across the south-east and London could rise higher into the evening.
Cops have banned booze in parks, and beachgoers have been told to stay away today as Brits enjoy their newfound freedom during the midweek Spring scorcher.
Hundreds of boozy students brawled with each other and peed in bushes at a park in Nottingham.
Burkill said Tuesday's temperature was "exceptionally high" for the time of year.
"It's the second warmest March day on record... whether it will beat the 25.6C, I'm not so sure," he said.
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Temperatures increased by more than 20C in less than four hours in Santon Downham, west Suffolk, on Tuesday.
The village saw the mercury climb from a frosty -1.6C at 7am to 19C shortly before 11am.
Temperatures were forecast to hit 24C to 25C on Wednesday, with the highest figures expected around London.
The Met Office earlier tweeted there would be "exceptional warmth" and "massive" temperature contrasts as the month comes to a close.
The Times had described it as a "Spanish plume" of warm air.
Burkill added: "The warmth is going to be very widespread across the bulk of England and Wales.
"Northern Ireland and many parts of Scotland will be cooler by [Wednesday], so [it will be] a little bit fresher.
"For most, it will be largely sunny, with a few bits of fair-weather cloud in England and Wales.
"In Northern Ireland and Scotland it will be cloudier with a band of rain edging its way southwards."
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Burkill said Wales recorded its hottest day of the year so far, with the mercury hitting 21.3C in Cardiff.
Northern Ireland also experienced its warmest day of the year on Tuesday, with temperatures reaching 18C at Giant's Causeway, while Scotland saw the mercury hit 18.5C in Lossiemouth, Moray.
But the sunshine and warmth will disappear over Easter, predicts 's Brian Gaze.
On Saturday April 3, "we can see temperatures across the UK dipping below freezing, so there's potential for quite a widespread frost.
"That will be the same for the other nights over the Easter period," added Gaze.
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By Easter Sunday much colder Arctic air is likely to be pushing southwards and it could reach all areas on Bank Holiday Monday, he said.
"In terms of snow, that's a big question of course. It will become clearer two or three days before Easter weekend, but computer models are currently showing the potential."
Pointing to one weather forecast model, Brian noted it showed: "There is snow across Scotland, parts of higher ground in north England and Wales - even down to southwest England.
"So if that is correct, some people will be seeing snow on Easter Sunday."
"We could see some sleet or snow falling in the showers as they become heavy and prolonged," reports Gaze.
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As the temperatures drop during these showers, "there's increasing likelihood of them turning to sleet or snow, even down to low levels", he added.
Disease expert Dr Bharat Pankhania, a senior clinical lecturer at Exeter University, has warned that Brits must keep their circles small in the continued fight against Covid.
He added that caution and care are needed, as people brace for the hottest day of the year so far.
Dr Pankhania told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “People have been kept in their homes for a very long time and there is of course a build-up of frustration.
“What is important is that people do not extend their circle of friends extensively because this is a human-to-human spread of infection.
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“What we need to do is keep your circle of friends small and tight.”
He added: “The expression ‘slippery slope’ is very apt, especially when it is aided by alcohol.
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"Because what happens when you have a drink and then another one, in the background of a lot of frustration of having been in restrictions, you drop your guard and when you drop your guard and you go indoors with poor ventilation that is where the dangers are.
“Caution, care is needed."
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Thousands of Brits head to parks and beaches as UK scorches in hottest March day since 1968
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