Britons descended upon the nation’s outdoor spaces today amid forecasts of a washout week ahead, with heavy showers expected to sweep across the country by tomorrow.
In Newcastle Quayside this afternoon crowds of people flocked to the market stalls and enjoyed a stroll in the sunshine while others were spotted laying on the grass on Wimbledon Common, London, as the country embraced a spell of sunshine – with temperatures reaching 66F in the capital.
Meanwhile in Swanage, Dorset, groups of people head to the beaches to take in the sea air as the seaside resort welcomed spells of sunshine.
The scenes came as the UK enjoyed its warmest day since March 31, when temperatures soared beyond 75F (24C), with temperatures climbing to 72.5F in Santon Downham, Suffolk, and 72F in Weymouth, Norfolk, today.
It also came as the UK braces itself for a week of heavy showers and wind as low pressure lying to the west of the country brings with it largely unsettled conditions, with temperatures predicted to hit 53F in southern parts of the country tonight.
Met Office spokesperson Annie Shuttleworth told MailOnline: ‘This week we’ve got low pressure lying to the west of the UK and that’s going to bring largely unsettled conditions to the whole of the UK. It will also bring a southerly airflow so we’re expecting milder conditions.
Groups of people take to the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset as the country welcomes spells of sunshine and warm weather
Crowds of people take to the streets of Newcastle Quayside this afternoon as the area area sees spells of sunshine and milder weather
Groups of people enjoy a stroll along the riverfront at Newcastle Quayside this afternoon amid forecasts of a wet and windy week ahead
People enjoy the dry and mild weather at Wimbledon Common, South West London, after lockdown restrictions were lifted
People walk their dogs in Wimbledon Common as the capital enjoys spells of sunshine ahead of a washout week
‘On Monday it’s expected to be quite a windy day for the whole of the UK with fairly widespread showers. These showers are more likely to be heavy and will be thundery at times and will be fairly frequent as well. So quite changeable conditions throughout Monday.
‘There will be sunny spells in between the showers and as we have this mild southerly air it will feel fairly pleasant in the sunshine but quite unpleasant if you do get caught in any of the heavier showers.
‘The warmest temperatures tomorrow will be across East Anglia and the east of the country in general. So the highest temperature looks to be 17C across East Anglia and it will be a little bit cooler in the west so reaching about 15C.
‘It will be a mild night overnight and then on Tuesday we’ve got further sunny spells and showers.
‘Showers will be most frequent in the west, particularly the south-west, where they could still be heavy. In the east there will be more longer lived sunny spells. Highs of 17-18C across the south east but a couple degrees cooler in the west.
‘On Wednesday, it’s a very similar day to Tuesday so we’ve still got an unsettled set up with further sunny spells and showers and the showers once again will be much more frequent in the west of the UK and across Northern Ireland and Scotland.
‘Overnight on Wednesday, an area of rain will move up that could bring quite persistent rainfall to the south west of the UK.’
As Britain braces itself for a washout week ahead, figures released from the Department of Health today revealed coronavirus daily deaths had tumbled by 86 per cent from 14 to just 2 in a week.
Meanwhile cases rose slightly by 6 per cent in the same period as official figures showed a third of UK adults were now fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
The latest Department for Health figures show that the number of daily virus cases rose from 1,671 to 1,770 on last Sunday while the number of Covid-19 deaths plummeted in further evidence of the efficacy of vaccines.
Official figures also show that more than 17.6 million people have now received both jabs, with England and Northern Ireland both estimated to have given two doses to 33.6 per cent of their adult population – slightly ahead of Wales (33.4 per cent) and Scotland (33.1 per cent).
A group of friends sit on the grass at Wimbledon Common in London as the nation braces itself for a week of widespread showers
Crowds of people enjoy the sea air as they take to the beach in Swanage, Dorset, amid forecasts of a washout week ahead
Despite temperatures set to hit 59F in some parts of the country, Britons took to the beach in Dorset after months of lockdown restrictions
People enjoy the sun in Wimbledon Common as the UK braces itself for a week of heavy showers and wind as low pressure lying to the west of the country brings with it largely unsettled conditions
Responding to the figures for England, Dr Nikki Kanani, GP and medical director for primary care at NHS England, said: ‘Yet another incredible NHS milestone has been reached as one in three adults in England have now had both doses of the Covid vaccine – meaning that they have maximum protection from the virus.
‘Reaching this milestone is no accident – it is down to months of hard work and everyone in the NHS who has played a role in this is helping to protect millions of people from serious illness and saving lives.’
Meanwhile, 35,371,669 people in the UK have now received a first dose of vaccine – the equivalent of 67.2 per cent of the adult population. Wales has given a first dose to 76.2 per cent of its adult population, ahead of Northern Ireland (66.9 per cent), England (66.8 per cent) and Scotland (65.4 per cent).
Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: ‘One third of adults in the UK have now had their second dose of the Covid vaccine, a testament to the extraordinary efforts of NHS staff and volunteers. Thank you to everyone who has made this happen. Get your jab when called.’