Britain basks in higher than usual temperatures as early spring to bring glorious 20C weather

Nathan Rao
Thu, 19 Mar 2026 08:27:57 +0000

Balmy sunshine will push temperatures 10C higher than normal for early spring as Britain basks under a summer-like heat dome.

Sunny skies and highs in the 20Cs will bring a nationwide boost of joy as sun-loving Britons ditch winter coats for T-shirts.

Behind the warm spell is high pressure sliding across the country, clearing the clouds and sweeping in tropical winds.

It will wedge over Britain for the next couple of days mimicking heat domes typical of summer.

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Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said: “High pressure remains in charge on Thursday into Friday, and on Friday we could see 16C across northeast Scotland, helped by some sunshine.

“Then a weather front attempts to push in through the weekend, and it is a slow process, with certainly more cloud across the northwest.

“Elsewhere, there is some fine weather on Saturday, but we will see the weather change through Sunday and into next week.”

Temperatures today in the south will hit the high-teens, possibly 20C, around 10C higher than the average for March.

Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said: “High pressure remains in charge on Thursday into Friday, and on Friday we could see 16C across northeast Scotland, helped by some sunshine.

“Then a weather front attempts to push in through the weekend, and it is a slow process, with certainly more cloud across the northwest.

“Elsewhere, there is some fine weather on Saturday, but we will see the weather change through Sunday and into next week.”

Temperatures today in the south will hit the high-teens, possibly 20C, around 10C higher than the average for March.

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Further north, it will feel cooler under cloudy skies with highs only just nudging double figures.

Clear skies under high pressure will allow plenty of warm sunshine, although warm days will follow chilly mornings.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: “Thursday is going to be a largely sunny day for many of us, and we will see temperatures rising after a chilly start to the day.

“We are looking at highs in the mid-teens or high-teens, or maybe scraping into the high 20Cs, but not as high as Wednesday.

“Friday is a similar story, and it is a largely sunny day for the bulk of the country, and some parts of Scotland are looking even sunnier than through much of the week so far.”

The warm end to March bodes well for a sizzling spring and potentially warm summer.

The Met Office’s three-month forecast predicts a 1.5 times normal chance of spring being warmer than average.

This is based on global weather drivers including a La Nina cooling of the eastern Pacific, tropical weather patterns in the Indian Ocean and an overall pattern of climate change.

A Met Office spokesperson said: “Consistent with our warming climate, a warm spring is more likely than cool.

“However, given the recent prolonged wet weather, many parts of the country will remain more sensitive to heavy rain than normal during early spring.”

The summer heat dome will, however, turn the tables after the weekend when temperatures are forecast to drop.

High pressure will shift northwards switching balmy southerly winds for a touch of chill from the north.

Jim Dale, meteorologist for British Weather Services and co-author of ‘Surviving Extreme Weather’, said: “The high is going to migrate northwards at the weekend, and behind this there will be a cooler weather front coming through.

“This means that after the weekend, it is going to start feeling cooler again with some fairly brisk winds.

“It will be dry, but cooler.”