Spring sunshine has brought Britain its hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures passing 19C.



A warm wind from the south sent the mercury rising, with parts of the country enjoying fine and bright weather.

Friday’s 17.3C high was surpassed in Gravesend, Kent, where temperatures reached 19.4C on Saturday afternoon.

The Met Office said this made it the warmest day since 25 October last year, when temperatures reached a high of 19.6C in Wisley, Surrey.

However, the warm weather is not set to last.



The Met Office meteorologist Helen Roberts said showers would develop on Sunday in the north and west, along with outbreaks of rain across central and eastern areas.

“Where it’s been potentially 18C or more this afternoon in the south-east, tomorrow it will be much suppressed, so more like 12C or 13C,” she said.

London and the south-east would feel the warmest temperatures on Saturday, as an area of cloud and rain to the west edged north towards Scotland.

Roberts said more extensive cloud would develop early on Sunday and then rain would push across south-east England.

#Rain will continue moving northwards this afternoon but there should be some #sunshine either side. It'll feel a lot warmer across Scotland and Northern Ireland than yesterday pic.twitter.com/vyNDvqSogs — Met Office (@metoffice) April 7, 2018

She said the return of an easterly wind from Tuesday would cause eastern areas to be colder and cloudier, with the west of the country experiencing more sunshine and higher temperatures.