It is expected to warm up from Thursday and the big weekend may bring the hottest day of the year so far, exceeding the 20.8 degrees Celsius (69.4 F) recorded on March 23. The dust blowing from the Sahara could also create some spectacular sunrises and sunsets, according to Sky News meteorologist Chris England. “A southerly wind and generally weak winds this week means it will get warmer, with temperatures likely above 20 degrees Celsius in places from Thursday,” the Sky meteorologist said. The Southeast region is expected to make the most of the good weather, but will depend on the duration of any cloud outages. The days before Easter will also be mild in many areas, but there will be rain and sleet for some – learn more in the latest Sky News forecast in the UK. It comes after the sunniest March in almost 100 years, according to provisional Met Office statistics. A large area of high pressure over the United Kingdom brought an average of 166.1 hours of sunshine, the most since 1929. Northern Ireland was particularly good, scoring 192.5 hours, 90% more sunshine than its long-term average. However, the clear sky kept a lid on temperatures, with the UK average at 6.7 degrees Celsius – just 1 Celsius above normal.
