Warm, dry weather set to stay for whole of next week across UK

Warm and dry weather is expected to continue across the country for the whole of next week after the hottest day of the year so far.

Settled conditions will lead to above-average temperatures this and next weekend, with the risk of wildfires still possible but reducing, the Met Office said.

It comes after Friday saw 23.7C recorded in Otterbourne, Hampshire, the hottest day of the year so far – while England also saw its sunniest March on record.

Saturday could see highs of 21C in parts of south-east England, while the weather will turn slightly milder on Sunday with a maximum of 17C in the South West.

Craig Snell, meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “The sunshine is getting stronger every day.

“I still think, for many people, if you’re not exposed to that wind, it will still be pleasantly warm during the days as we go through next week.

“There’s hints maybe it turns again a little bit warmer towards the end of next week. It’s probably a little bit too early to say exactly how warm, but I’d say probably at least above average for most.

“Night time [will be] still quite chilly, still be prone to some frost from time to time, but certainly by this time next week [there is] very little change.

“I think most of us [are] still seeing plenty of fine weather to come, and that will possibly continue into the kind of early part of the following week, but then potentially starting to break down there afterwards.”

Temperatures will “fluctuate” day-to-day during the week, with eastern areas likely to see some cloud at times, but are not likely to fall any lower than the mid-teens, Mr Snell said.

More unsettled conditions are not likely to arrive until at least the middle of the month, he added.

The meteorologist said having a prolonged spell of dry weather at this time of year was “not uncommon”.

He said: “During the first lockdown of 2020, we entered quite a dry, sunny spell through most of late March, early April, and I think that continued into May as well.

“So it doesn’t happen every year, but it’s certainly something we’ve we’ve had not in the far past.”

The risk of wildfires is now reducing in many areas away from south east and central England, after it had been rated as “severe” across much of the UK this week, the Met Office said.

Major blazes erupted during dry weather in Scotland and Dorset this week, with the fires spanning an area of around 1.5 miles and 50 hectares respectively.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said it responded to a “significantly large fire” on Gentleshaw Common in Burntwood on Friday.

Two children have also suffered water-related deaths during the ongoing dry spell.

The Metropolitan Police said a 15-year-old boy died after he “got into difficulty” in a lake in Lewisham, south-east London, while a 16-year-old boy also got into difficulty while swimming in a lake in Cambridgeshire.

A third child, 11-year-old Kaliyah Coa, is still missing after she entered the River Thames close to London City Airport in east London on Monday.

Published: 05/04/2025 by Radio NewsHub