It's official! April was the warmest on record - and there's more sun to come

Last month was the UK's warmest April ever, the Met Office has said.

Records that go back more than 100 years show that most of the country experienced temperatures of 10.7C. This is between 3C to 5C warmer than normal for April.

It was also the 11th driest month, with only half the average rainfall.

And it's not over yet. The sun is set to continue, with next weekend predicted to be a scorcher, with forecasters predicting temperatures to hit 23C.

A spokesman for the BBC Weather Centre said: 'The reason for the warm spring sunshine has been the persistence of high pressure systems dominating the weather pattern.

'These highs have been anchored across - or just to the east - of the UK. As a result, southeasterly winds have brought warm air up from the near continent and at times as far away as the Sahara.'

Most of the UK enjoyed clear skies and sun on the May Day bank holiday, but strong chilly breezes and showers in the south west caused some families to cut short their breaks.

But the wind is set to die down, giving way to warmer weather, according to Tony Burgess of the Met Office: 'The strong breezes will die down as we reach Wednesday which will push temperatures up to 20c (68f) by Thursday.

'As we approach the weekend there is an increasing chance of showers in the West but the East and South will remain fine and dry.'

Although the unusually hot and dry weather has been blamed for a number of heath and moorland fires across Britain - ramblers had to be rescued last night as a blaze swept through Crowthorne Woods in Berkshire - the majority of the population have been making the most of the heat at Britain's parks and beaches.

Time to book another staycation, then!

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