The late winter chill and near-record storm season will finally yield their grip as Britain gears up for the warmest day of the year so far.
Thermometers are about to rocket as rain, frosts and chilly winds give way to warm spring sunshine.
Southern and south-eastern regions are first in line for the good weather where temperatures could beat early April’s 21.8C.
Jim Dale, meteorologist for British Weather Services and social commentator, said: “The next week or so is likely to bring the warmest day of the year so far, and we are going to see a change from the current cold as we lose the northerly drag.
Temperatures could beat the highs of 21.8C recorded earlier in the year
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“There are going to be fronts coming through, so it is not completely settled everywhere, but there will be a change from the dominant low pressure we have seen now for months. We are about to undo the run of cold, wet and windy weather.”
It will wrap up an unusually chilly end to April which saw the mercury in parts of Scotland dip below freezing.
Forecasters were even mooting the risk of snow over the northern mountains at the weekend as the region shivered under winter frosts.
It follows an unusually choppy storm season which has seen 11 named storms –the latest Kathleen at the start of April – swipe the UK since September.
However, it will be ‘slow climb up the mountain’ to summer, with no sign of a scorchio heatwave just yet.
Mr Dale said: “There is no reason why May can’t deliver some much hotter weather, but it is going to be a very gradual process.
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The wet weather is set to clear
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“But the weather has been very unusual with seven months beyond the start of the storm season bringing yet another named storm just weeks ago.
“It has been seven months since anyone has had any possibility of having a barbecue, but this could be about to change.
“But it will be a slow climb up the mountain, and there is no sign of a real blast of hot weather just yet, and we will be looking over our shoulders for a bit.”
Rising temperatures have prompted bookies to hack back the odds on next month toppling records with Coral offering 1-2 from 6-4 on a record May.
Spokesman John Hill said: “Spring will finally feel like it has sprung over the next few days, and with temperatures set to rise fast, we have slashed the odds on next month being a record-hot May.”
Rising temperatures have prompted bookies to hack back the odds on next month toppling records with Coral offering 1-2 from 6-4 on a record May
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Independent forecasters agree a change for the better is imminent with highs of 25C possible within a fortnight.
Part of the change will be driven by low pressure, the driver of unsettled weather, being nudged out by high pressure–the bringer of summer sunshine.
Exacta Weather’s James Madden said: “As we go through the end of April and into May, we will see the unsettled weather becoming less frequent with temperatures rising significantly form where they have been at the end of April.
“We could easily see thermometers rise to the mid- to high-20Cs during this period.
“Some weather models agree that temperatures could rise through the coming weeks from below to above the seasonal average.”