Britons are making the most of the sun before they head back to work following the hottest early May Bank Holiday weekend on record.
The mercury hit 28.7C (83.6F) in Northolt, west London, on Monday afternoon – just nudging past the previous record in 1995 when temperatures peaked on the Saturday at 28.6C (83.4F).
The early May Bank Holiday was introduced in 1978 and the temperature over the long weekend has never topped the 28C (82.4F) mark until today.
It means parts of the UK are enjoying temperatures hotter than holiday destinations including Madrid, Athens and Miami.
The maximum average temperatures for May are 13C (55.4F) in the North and 16C (42.8F) in the South.
But not everyone is basking under blue skies – it is cloudier across Northern Ireland and Scotland, the Met Office said.
Temperatures are expected to cool slightly from Tuesday as the warm jet stream moves diagonally south east across the UK and is replaced by cooler air.
Looking at the long-range forecast, which is not as accurate as the shorter range forecast, Met Office forecaster Charlie Powell said: “It looks like we should be prepared for some pretty changeable weather throughout the second half of May.
“We’re still going to see some dry days, but there’s still going to be some wet days mixed in as well.”
He said temperatures will generally be above normal, but this will depend on whether it is a sunny day or a sunny, wetter day.
