Spring arrives eventually! Parts of Britain will indulge in 5 days of wall-to-wall sunshine as temperatures hit 20C from tomorrow – making nation hotter than Ibiza and Corfu

Britain could enjoy its first 20C temperature of the year this week as meteorologists told Londoners to expect wall-to-wall sunshine for five days in a row from today.

Each day of the week will be progressively warmer after highs of 13C (55F) yesterday, with 15C (59F) expected today then 19C (66F) or 20C (68F) tomorrow and Thursday.

Such temperatures would make the UK warmer tomorrow than many European holiday hotspots including Ibiza (16C/61F), Corfu (15C/59F) and Faro (17C/63F).

The Met Office is forecasting sunshine in London for almost every hour from sunrise to sunset from today until Saturday, before cloudier conditions return by Sunday.

The UK’s warmest day of the year so far could also happen by midweek, beating the current 2026 high of 19.2C (66.6F) recorded at Northolt in West London on March 5.

The pleasant weather will be brought by a warmer southerly wind drawing up air from the Mediterranean, resulting in temperatures 6C or 7C above average in Britain.

Today is also known as the Vernal Equilux – the day when daylight and darkness are closest to being exactly 12 hours each – for parts of the UK roughly south of Norwich.

The day is tomorrow for locations generally north of the city. After the Vernal Equilux, the length of the days becomes longer than nights as the UK moves towards summer.

Rowers on the Rivers Thames at Caversham in Berkshire today as temperatures begin to rise

The Met Office is forecasting wall-to-wall sunshine for London from today until Saturday

Yesterday brought unsettled conditions to the North before rain gradually moved eastwards in the afternoon then turned lighter – while the South stayed mostly dry.

Today will begin cloudy before skies brighten with sunny spells for England and Wales, but Scotland and Northern Ireland will see thicker cloud and further rain.

Tomorrow and Thursday are expected to be the best days of the week, before temperatures cooling towards the seasonal average of 16C (61F) by Friday.

Met Office chief forecaster Dan Harris said: ‘Wednesday looks likely to be the warmest day of the week for many, with high pressure dominant.

‘The warmest spots are likely to be in parts of west Wales and western England, where under sunny skies, 18C to 19C, possibly even 20C is on the cards.

‘This is due to the additional boost expected from the passage of east to south-easterly winds over areas of higher ground, known as the Foehn effect.’

The Foehn effect – often observed in the Highlands – occurs when air is forced over a mountain range and warms, moving down the other side and raising temperatures.

Mr Harris added: ‘There’ll be a big diurnal range this week, which is the difference between the maximum daytime temperature and minimum overnight temperature.

‘Thanks to the clear skies during the day, we’ll see some chilly nights after the warmer days with a few places experiencing air frost.’

Looking further ahead, the Met Office long-range forecast expects temperatures will remain close to or a little above average by this weekend and into next week.

While most places are expected to be predominantly dry, forecasters said the odd shower is possible in the South East, and parts of the North West may also see rain.

Astronomical spring begins on Friday, after meteorological spring started on March 1.