UK weather: Britain basks in sunshine as temperatures hit 27C on hottest day of 2019

Met Office says 27.6C recorded at Heathrow on Saturday afternoon was warmest temperature of year so far

Parts of the UK experienced the hottest day of the year so far with temperatures higher than Rome and Ibiza, according to the Met Office.

The temperature soared to 27.6C at 2.27pm at Heathrow in west London on Saturday, beating 2019’s previous warmest temperature of 25.8C, which was set last month.

Across Europe, Rome only saw highs of 26C, while in Ibiza, the mercury reached a maximum of 23C.

The first day of June is treated by weather experts as the meteorological first day of the UK summer.

Areas in the southeast of England have enjoyed the best of the weekend weather so far, with Teddington in southwest London and Wisley in Surrey experiencing 26.4C.

The temperature also reached 26C in High Beach, Essex, and 25.9C at the Iver water works in Buckinghamshire.

Conditions could get even hotter in East Anglia on Sunday, with temperatures of 28C or 29C expected, but that could also bring a risk of thunder storms.

Met Office meteorologist Emma Smith said the hot weather is the result of the jet stream moving north and high pressure and heat coming from the continent in the south.

She said on Saturday: “For this time of the year it should be 19C or 20C in London and in East Anglia it should be 18C or 19C, where we could see the hottest temperatures tomorrow.

“The last time we had 28C was August last year. It’s hot for the time of year.”

So far the hottest days of the year were 19 April and 15 May which both saw of 25.8C.

The UK also experienced its hottest Easter Monday on record with temperatures hitting 25C in some parts of the country.

Into next week, Monday will see heavy showers in the north, although it will be drier and brighter in the rest of England and Wales.

Temperatures are likely to drop to 20C in the south east and to 18C across the rest of the country.

The average temperature for June is 17C and the last time temperatures rose to 29C was 28 August last year.

Additional reporting by Press Association