Britons heading back to work after the hottest early May bank holiday weekend on record will enjoy the sweltering temperatures for one more day before temperatures dip again.



The bank holiday sunshine – which saw record-breaking highs of 28.7C in England – is expected to stick around for Tuesday before a front bringing cloud and rain pushes in from the west.

Met Office forecaster Helen Roberts said highs of 28C were expected on Tuesday, with the south-east and central southern England seeing the warmest conditions, followed by a “massive drop in temperature” as the week progresses.

“Much of England will have a really decent morning, lots of sunshine,” she said. “It gradually clouds over across West Midlands into the early afternoon, but central and eastern areas tend to hold on to the sunshine for longer.”

The warm weather might trigger thunderstorms late in the afternoon and into the evening, most likely in East Anglia, London and the south-east, the Met Office said.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to be cooler, with maximum temperatures of 20C.

From Wednesday it will be “nowhere near as warm” as the bank holiday period, with temperatures struggling to hit 20C and most likely resting in the mid-teens.

On Monday afternoon the temperature hit 28.7C in Northolt, west London, making it the hottest early May bank holiday Monday, and weekend, since records began.

Those hoping for a repeat scorcher next weekend will be disappointed, as it is forecast to be “decidedly cooler and more unsettled”.