Britons Bask In Hottest Weather Of The Year

After weeks of grey skies and rain, Britons have finally been able to strip off their winter woollies and bask in sunshine as the UK records its hottest weather of the year so far.

Before Tuesday, the warmest day of 2012 was when Aboyne in Aberdeenshire reached 23.6C on March 27.

Now Solent in Hampshire has recorded 23.8 degrees - and temperatures are still rising.

And the balmy weather is expected to hang around in some parts of the country for days.

Sky News weather forecaster Christopher England said: "It looks like it will stay warm and dry through the weekend, with today and tomorrow the warmest.

"It'll drop a couple of degrees over the weekend but will still be above average."

But England said such warmth is not that surprising. He said it is more unusual that the cold stayed around for longer this year.

"It's not really that unusual for May - last year saw similar temperatures at the start of the month.

"The unusual thing really has been the recent cold, as above, not the current warmth."

Maximum temperatures for the warm spell are likely to be somewhere between 25-26C (77-79F), according to England.

Temperatures elsewhere will hit the mid to high teens, even in Scotland and Northern Ireland, according to the Met Office.

But more unsettled weather is expected next week.

England added: "Monday may bring some heavy showers to the south then it looks to turn more unsettled and cooler towards the middle of next week.

"The warm air is coming up from south-east and central Europe - the flow will become more from the east later, which is why temperatures will drop a touch."