Britons will be slapping on suncream for an early taste of summer this week ahead of the warmest day of the year so far.
A wet and chilly mid-March will give way to temperatures nudging 20C as the doors open to a tropical plume.
High pressure, the deliverer of summer joy, will sweep the country from Wednesday, parting the clouds for lashings of warm sunshine.
Southerly winds will make it feel more like early summer in parts of the country, according to optimistic experts who predict the 19.2C March peak could fall.
Jim Dale, meteorologist for British Weather Services, said: “From around Wednesday, it is going to start to feel much nicer, but it is Thursday and Friday when we really see the warmer weather coming in.
“We could see temperatures of 17C or 18C or possibly beating the hottest day of the year so far.
“London and the southeast will see the warmest temperatures, although temperatures are going to rise across the country.”
Britons desperate to shake off their t-shirts will have to brave a couple more days of gloom before the sun arrives.
High pressure will sweep the UK from Wednesday
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Northern regions are in the firing line for wind and rain, with a late dusting of snow likely over the mountains.
Mr Dale said: “The next couple of days could see winds hit 40mph or 50mph in Scotland and the Highlands, and here it is going to be colder with the ongoing risk of frosts overnight.
“The north is very much in the teeth of the unsettled weather over the next couple of days, but the further south we go, the rain gets less and less.
“As high pressure then starts to build, it is going to start feeling very pleasant.”
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The change will be driven by storm-heavy, cyclonic low-pressure systems giving way to high pressure.
As this "anticyclonic" pattern builds from the south, winds will sweep in from the tropics as the clouds part.
However, forecasters warn a slight shift in weather patterns could bring in a chilly easterly.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: “The most likely set-up for Wednesday is for high pressure to start building in, and if you are under the high pressure, it is relatively pleasant by day.
“However, towards the south and the southeast, we will be dragging in our air from the north and the northeast, so it is possible that some places towards the southeast could be towards the colder side.
“But another model has the high a bit further south, and that would be a slightly warmer direction.”
The growing consensus is a wet, windy and chilly start to the week will give way to a glorious burst of spring.
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “Another band of wet and windy weather arrives during the day on Monday, and the rain pushes into northern England, north Wales and western Scotland by the afternoon.
“For the south and east across many parts of central and southern England and Wales, there will be a good amount of dry weather, and temperatures will be close to average for the time of year.
“By the time we get to Wednesday and Thursday, we could see high pressure dominating across the UK, and that would bring plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the high teens for some of us.”
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