UK predicted to be warmer than Greece and Turkey during Easter weekend

The UK is predicted to be warmer than Greece and Turkey over the weekend as temperatures soar to 23C (73.4F).

Met Office forecasters have said the warm weather parts of England saw on Friday is expected to expand further across the nation, rather than being concentrated on one area, on Saturday.

The mercury hit 23.4C (74.1F) in St James’s Park in central London on Good Friday afternoon, making it hotter than California, with the rest of the warm weather being concentrated in the South East.

On Saturday, the weather is expected to be dry with temperatures rising to 23C (73.4F)  in the West Midlands and eastern Wales, the Met Office said, while the northern, central and south eastern parts of England are predicted to see highs of 20C (68F).

Simon Partridge, Met Office forecaster, told the PA news agency: “It’s a little bit warmer more widely today than it was yesterday.

“We will see some rain arriving later in western parts of Northern Ireland and western Scotland but elsewhere, it will be dry and fine.

“Most places will be sunny, we will still see cloud in the far southwest and also across parts of western Wales and into North West England at the moment, but most of that should break up through the afternoon.

“We are expecting the weather to be warmer than Greece. Greece looks like it is going to reach 18C (64.4F) or 19C (66.2F) while Turkey is going to reach 21C (70F) on Saturday, so we’ll be warmer than Greece, Turkey and southern Italy.

“Friday and Saturday are the warmest days of the weekend, Sunday is expected to be cooler.”

Easter Sunday is expected to remain dry with temperatures falling to 19C (66.2F) and lower across England and Wales while Scotland is predicted to see highs of 16C (60.8F) and Northern Ireland with highs of 12C (53.6F).

Western parts of the UK may also see clouds, while rainfall across Northern Ireland may spread to western Britain overnight.

Ahead of an expected influx of tourists to the county over the warm Easter weekend, Cornwall Council warned both locals and residents to be aware of the ongoing Covid risk.

The county has seen high numbers of cases in recent weeks, with latest Government figures showing 154,807 positive cases on Thursday.

A total of 2,335 new cases were reported in the seven days up to Thursday.

Brian O’Neill, public health consultant at the council, urged people to take precautions to protect themselves from Covid by washing their hands, keeping distances, meeting people outdoors and opening windows where possible.

He told BBC Breakfast: “I think people are still careful.

“People are giving space to each other… generally, the visitors that we’re seeing down in Cornwall at the moment are being very respectful and using the facilities available.

“Our hospitality industry has worked incredibly hard to keep things safe.”