Warning of traffic jams on coastal routes but thunderstorms may dampen mood in some areas

Tens of thousands of people are expected to flock to Britain’s coasts this weekend as the unusually hot weather lasts into Saturday and Sunday.

There are warnings of traffic jams on coastal routes to Brighton, Dorset, Cornwall and Blackpool, while supermarkets are preparing for families and friends stocking up for barbecues.

Temperatures have soared to as high as 29C (84F) over the past few days, with Thursday the hottest April day in almost 70 years.

The weather is expected to cool by Saturday but will remain much higher than the average for this time of year, with highs of up to 26C in London.

John West, a Met Office meteorologist, said: “It won’t be quite as hot but you won’t notice too much of a difference because there will be plenty of sunshine around, particularly on Saturday.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sunbathers on Hunstanton beach in Norfolk. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA

“The one difference is we’ll have some thunderstorms brewing in the late morning or early afternoon in the south-west of England, which will move towards the Midlands at the height of the afternoon. By the evening those thunderstorms will have spread quite widely across the north of England, and it’s likely we’ll see some quite heavy downpours and lightning.”

The weather will cool on Sunday, with a few scattered showers in the morning.

But the London marathon is forecast to be the hottest yet, with expected highs of 23C, beating the 1996 record of 22.7C. Race organisers said they would add more water, ice and shower stations along the 26.2-mile route.

The heatwave has come just over a month after the UK struggled with snow and ice from the “beast from the east”. It has been caused by warm air from the Azores being dragged towards the UK due to an area of low pressure over the Atlantic and high pressure over western Europe.



The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has warned of high air pollution levels in parts of the south and east, and moderate parts of the north. People with asthma or lung and heart problems, and the elderly, were advised to reduce outdoor exercise.

