Britain will sizzle tomorrow on a record-breaking Bank Holiday.
After basking in a weekend of sunshine, it could be the hottest early May bank holiday Monday since records began and will see the mercury top even that of Mexico.
Temperatures could hit 29C (84.2F) as people round off the three-day weekend in 15 hours of sunrise-to-sunset “unbroken sunshine” for many, the Met Office said.
That will see Britain hotter than both 23C Mexico City and 26C Honolulu, Hawaii.
But sunlovers are already being warned to make the most of it, with rain and thunderstorms on their way by the end of the week.
After the ‘Beast from the East’ left the country shivering last month, Britain will bake in the ‘roast from Russia’, with hot air arriving from 30C southern Russia, the Met Office said.
The Met Office said the South East, East Anglia and the East Midlands will feel the heat most. Scotland and Northern Ireland will be a little cooler, but even eastern parts of Scotland will reach the low 20s at times.
Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said: “It will certainly be the warmest early May Bank Holiday on record, with 29C possible in the South-East.
“There will be plenty of sunshine for most, with good conditions for outdoor activities.
“Tuesday has 28C possible again, with the low 20s from Wednesday and a lot of fine weather in days ahead, with only the chance of a shower on Tuesday and Thursday.”
Although things are likely to worsen by next weekend, the outlook for the summer is good.
The Met Office three-month forecast, being briefed to councils, transport chiefs and business leaders, said: “For May-July, above-average temperatures are more probable than below-average temperatures.
“The probability the UK average temperature for May-July will fall into the warmest of our five categories is 30 per cent. The probability of the coldest of our five categories is between 5 and 10 per cent.”
The Weather Outlook forecaster Brian Gaze said: “This summer could be the warmest for five years.
“31C could be seen from June onwards. Warm air is due from continental Europe.
“As recent summers have been so mixed, this summer has a higher chance of being the warmest since 2013. But there will also be cool and wet spells.”
Today’s sunshine is likely to signal another stampede to the beaches, which were full yesterday.
Around 125,000 visitors are expected to hit Brighton, 50,000 at Bournemouth and another possible 50,000 at Blackpool today.
But rail engineering works are worsening road jams – with daytrippers clogging roads with tailbacks due on coastal routes including the A23 to Brighton, A31 to Dorset, A30 to Cornwall and M55 to Blackpool.
And there was chaos at Gatwick Airport yesterday with a lack of rail replacement buses leaving the terminals packed with angry travellers trying to get home.
Today will be the worst day of the year so far for hay fever , experts predict. Pollen counts are expected to soar as a “perfect storm” of warm, breezy weather conditions hits at the peak of tree pollen season.
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