WEATHER: Britain to roast this weekend

After a rainy coronation day, the people of Britain can look forward to a scorching weekend.

Forecasters say the mercury will soar as atmospheric pressure builds from the southwest. This means temperatures could rise as high as 80F (26C).

Those temperatures will make it the hottest weekend of the year. Could this mean the start of the summer in the UK?

Weather agency IPMA has confirmed that May would be warmer than average, and the driest places will be in the southeast.

After the weekend however, the Met Office says it is likely that there will be heavy rain for most of the UK throughout the week with a possibility of thunder.

Temperatures will be close to average, but it will feel “warmer” in the sunshine.

Last year the UK had one of its hottest summers on record when temperatures went up to 104F (40c) for the first time since records began. But it did mean that drought conditions were declared in certain areas and there were four times as many wildfires as in 2021.

The past eight years have been the warmest on record globally. Experts warn that the frequency and intensity of heatwaves will only become greater as climate change has an effect.

Some of the intense heat could be down to the return of El Niño which will cause less rainfall and more heat.