UK weather forecast: 26°C scorcher on the way, hotter than Athens and Barcelona

Temperatures in Britain will soar dramatically towards the end of the week, as forecasters have predicted a high of 26⁰C in the south east on Friday. Britain experienced a cold snap earlier in May, with northerly winds blowing Arctic air into the country, but the Met office is now predicting settled sunshine and warmer weather in England and Wales by the weekend.The weather forecasts made by the Met office, along with weather comparison reports in the BBC, have highlighted that Britain can expect warm temperatures as well as settled sunshine for the bank holiday weekend.
Cold weather was experienced in Britain for most of the month of May. Daytime temperatures were mostly around 9°C to 14°C, when seasonal temperatures should have been at 17°C to 18°C at this stage of spring. Northerly winds brought in colder arctic air, which caused temperatures to be a few degrees below the seasonal average.
Unsettled conditions are forecasted to prevail during the early part of the week. Showers, some bright and sunny spells and possibly thunderstorms will affect several locations on Monday with stronger winds prevailing on Tuesday. The weather systems progressing eastwards are expected to affect weather patterns up until mid-week.
Met office forecaster Craig Snell said, "The first half of this week is still going to be changeable, if not unsettled, across parts of the UK. Temperatures at the start of the week are still a little subdued for the time of the year; as we head towards the weekend, we are expecting to see a change."
Weather conditions will begin improving on Thursday when high pressure begins developing over England and Wales. Sunny and more settled weather is expected, with warmer temperatures rising gradually to reach their maximum of 26°C in the south east by Friday. Highs in Athens are forecasted to reach 25°C, while in Barcelona they might reach 21°C.
Warmth is also expected to prevail during the bank holiday weekend. Forecasters have predicted that England and Wales will enjoy the most sunshine while temperatures are expected to stay higher than normal for the time of year in many areas.
Snell said, "The best of the sunshine across the bank holiday weekend will probably be across England and Wales. Temperatures are still above normal, potentially very warm again, but it's a bit too far in the future to get maximums."
He added that recent forecasts showed a much more favourable picture for the holiday weekend after several colder and wetter days earlier this month. "Indications are at the moment that the bank holiday looks a lot better than what we've had over the last week or so."