Through the weekend, a gradual rise in temperature will be noticeable. By Sunday, England and Wales will see highs of 16 to 21C – just in time for the London and Manchester marathons – whilst Scotland and Northern Ireland will stay cooler and more unsettled.

It’s into Monday that the heat starts to build more widely, and then temperatures will increase day on day. The peak of the warm spell will be on Wednesday and Thursday.

Areas most likely to experience the warmest weather include central southern England to the west of London, such as Oxfordshire and Hampshire, and into the Midlands.