Get ready for mini Spring heatwave! Britain turns its back on chilly April and will bask in 66F highs from today as nation begins enjoying second week of new freedoms after lockdown
- The Met Office predicted parts of south should see highs of 66F this afternoon as sunny weather continues
- Forecasters predict the dry weather should continue for much of the country throughout the rest of the week
- Warm and sunny weather will be a boost for Brits who are enjoying outdoor pints at pubs and bars across England as lockdown restrictions eased last week meaning customers can be served food and drink outside
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Britain is set for a mini heatwave as the mercury is set to hit highs of 66F today with most of the country expected to remain sunny and warm throughout the week.
After a chilly April, the sunshine returned this weekend to the delight of revellers who enjoyed the first weekend since the pubs and bars have reopened with customers required to sit outside.
The sunny weather is expected to last throughout today with highs of 18C expected in southern inland towns and cities.
A spokesman for the Met Office said: ‘It’s been an exceptionally dry April so far and we’ll likely see very little in the way of rain during the coming week.
‘High pressure will be keeping things settled and dry for the vast majority of the country as we go right the way through this week with plenty of sunshine at times too.
Much of the UK is set for a mini heatwave this week with temperatures set to reach 66F this afternoon. Pictured: commuters in London enjoy a warm and sunny walk across London Bridge this morning as the UK sees clear skies and warm temperatures
‘Rain continues across the north west this morning but for the vast majority, once early morning fog has cleared it’s looking like another dry day.
‘It should be feeling much warmer as well with highs of 17 and 18 degrees inland areas.’
From Tuesday, low cloud and fog will clear by the morning followed by dry weather with sunny spells across central and southern UK.
The country will see warm temperatures by the afternoon with some rain in the north edging south and easing, followed by sunny spells and light showers.
The sunny weather has been a boost for Brits who, this weekend, returned to pubs and beer gardens across England.
Pictured: A kayaker enjoys a sunrise this morning at Tynemouth Longsands in North Tyneside as UK welcomes warm weather
Pictured: Deer are silhouetted against the mist and the early morning sun in Bushy Park, London
The Met Office says that once the early morning fog lifted on Monday, the country should mostly see clear skies and sunshine
Thousands of people flooded back to bars and pubs to enjoy the first weekend since lockdown restrictions were eased, with rules stating they must eat and drink outdoors, meaning the sunny weather proved beneficial for revellers.
Outdoor seating in pubs and restaurants across the country – including London, Leeds and Newcastle – were swamped on Saturday night as partygoers made the most of their new-found freedoms.
It was estimated that the 50,000 pubs and restaurants selling alcohol would serve six million pints to mark ‘Super Saturday’.
Police officers were out in force across London and other cities to keep an eye on al-fresco drinkers, and even shut off Primrose Hill to avoid groups congregating for late-night parties.
Pictured: A swan enjoying some peace and quiet in early morning fog in Bushy Park in London ahead of a warm day in the city
People enjoy the early mornings sunshine Seasonal weather, Dunsden, Oxfordshire, this morning ahead of a warm Monday
Pictured: Commuters cross London bridge in the sun this morning as the capital enjoys warm weather today
The Met Office has warned that there is a risk of rain in north west England and over Scotland as a band of wet weather moves in from the Atlantic but the outlook otherwise has proven to be mainly fine.
Prior to this weekend, revellers had to wrap-up in more than just a beer jacket when they hit the pubs and bars, as they endured cool temperatures in outdoor areas under current Covid rules with temperatures in London dropping to 5C on Saturday morning.
It is estimated that some 50,000 pubs and restaurants selling alcohol served six million pints to mark ‘Super Saturday’ alone.
Many millions more were served on a takeaway basis by establishments without outdoor seating as queues snaked down the street.
The hospitality bookings website TheFork, formerly known as Bookatable, said pub and restaurant bookings were more than double those of July last year, which was when the first lockdown ended.