UK set for sunniest week of year as 400-mile wide ‘Canaries heat bulge’ turns up the sun

Following some chill winds to start the week, temperatures will begin to rise quickly from Tuesday – bringing highs hotter than Turkey and 12 hours of sunshine a day

Britain will bask in the sunniest week of the year. A 400 mile-wide ‘Canaries heat bulge’ will bring 20C (68F) highs hotter than Turkey in the coming days.

Up to 12 hours-a-day of sunshine will brighten Britain, with near dawn-to-dusk clear skies for some and long sunny stints for most.

The Met Office and BBC Weather have both forecast glorious spells. Temperatures will leap from 15C today (Mon) to 18C on Wednesday and 20C on Thursday or Friday – 6C above normal.

Warm air from around the Canary Islands will push north and make Britain hotter than 16C Istanbul, Turkey.

Even the North – which saw regular rain last week – is due mainly dry conditions and 17C by Thursday.

Brits have been told to keep a jacket at hand for chilly winds to start the week – especially in the East – and possibly again during the coming weekend, although a warmer end to April follows.

The Weather Outlook forecaster Brian Gaze said: “Temperatures will rise and it may become quite warm in the South.”

BBC Weather said: “A drier period will develop and it will turn warmer.

“To start with, the West will be sunniest, although it will be cooler in the East. But high pressure from midweek should see temperatures rise above average, with mostly dry conditions likely to continue into early May.”

A Met Office forecaster said: “There’s lots of fine weather in the next week, staying mainly dry with just some showers in the East.

“There is potential for a short-lived colder spell around the weekend, but milder conditions will return.”

Temperatures in 28 UK counties are set to soar to 20C and beyond, according to the latest weather forecasting charts. The ECMWF weather model reveals Brits are facing a heat wave later this month.

Certain regions could witness the mercury climb as high as 23C, the data indicates. The charts demonstrate temperatures will reach their peak in south-east England and along the southern coastline on April 29.

Nevertheless, mild conditions are also expected across East Anglia, the Midlands and sections of Wales. Temperatures won’t be particularly chilly further north either. The ECMWF model indicates highs of 18C across Northern Ireland and southern Scotland, with 16C forecast for the Scottish Highlands.

Counties in UK facing 20C or above

Pembrokeshire

Cardiganshire

Carmarthenshire

Glamorgan

Brecknockshire

Staffordshire

Warwickshire

Worcestershire

Gloucestershire

Cornwall

Devon

Somerset

Dorset

Wiltshire

Berkshire

Oxfordshire

Hampshire

Sussex

Surrey

Kent

Middlesex

Essex

Hertfordshire

Buckinghamshire

Bedfordshire

Cambridgeshire

Norfolk

Suffolk